Sponsors (31)
The bill provides modest, predictable federal investment and grants to expand local recycling infrastructure—helping underserved areas and enabling projects—while risking inequitable access for smaller, remote jurisdictions, limiting program effectiveness by excluding education funding, and adding uncompensated federal spending.
Low-income and underserved communities will gain improved curbside collection, transfer stations, and processing capacity through targeted grants, increasing local recycling access and convenience.
Local governments, rural and urban communities will benefit from predictable federal funding ($30M/year FY2025–2029) to build recycling capacity, enabling longer-term planning and potentially higher local recycling rates.
State governments, tribes, and local governments can access large capital grants (up to $15M, federal share up to 90%), lowering local upfront costs for recycling infrastructure projects.
Rural communities and small municipalities may be disadvantaged because large grants and matching requirements favor better‑resourced applicants, limiting equitable access to funds.
Low-income communities and local governments may see weaker program effectiveness because the bill prohibits using funds for recycling education, which can reduce community uptake of new services.
Remote and rural communities may still be underserved because set-asides and hub‑and‑spoke priorities could concentrate resources near existing infrastructure rather than reaching truly remote areas.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes an EPA competitive grant program funding hub-and-spoke recycling projects, prioritizing underserved communities and authorizing $30M/year for FY2025–2029.
Official title: To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 14, 2025 by Mariannette Miller-Meeks · Last progress March 14, 2025
Creates a competitive Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program at the EPA to fund hub-and-spoke recycling projects that increase access to recycling services, with an emphasis on underserved communities. Authorizes $30 million per year for FY2025–2029, establishes grant size limits and matching rules, sets a 70% priority set-aside for projects serving underserved communities, allows EPA administrative and technical assistance spending, and requires a report to Congress within two years after the first award.