119-hr2145

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2145 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2145

To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 14, 2025

 Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Ms. 
 Tenney, and Ms. McClellan) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility, 
 and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Recycling Infrastructure and 
Accessibility Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

    (2) Curbside recycling.--The term ``curbside recycling'' 
 means the process by which residential recyclable materials are 
 picked up curbside.

    (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
        (A) a State (as defined in 

section 1004 of the 
 Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6903));
        (B) a unit of local government;
            (C) an Indian Tribe; and
            (D) a public-private partnership.

    (4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
 meaning given the term in 

section 4 of the Indian Self-
 Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

    (5) Materials recovery facility.--
        (A) In general.--The term ``materials recovery 
 facility'' means a recycling facility where primarily 
 residential recyclables, which are diverted from 
 disposal by a generator and collected separately from 
 municipal solid waste, are mechanically or manually 
 sorted into commodities for further processing into 
 specification-grade commodities for sale to end users.
        (B) Exclusion.--The term ``materials recovery 
 facility'' does not include a solid waste management 
 facility that may process municipal solid waste to 
 remove recyclable materials.

    (6) Pilot grant program.--The term ``pilot grant program'' 
 means the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program 
 established under subsection

    (b) .

    (7) Recyclable material.--The term ``recyclable material'' 
 means obsolete, previously used, off-specification, surplus, or 
 incidentally produced material for processing into a 
 specification-grade commodity for which a market exists.

    (8) Transfer station.--The term ``transfer station'' means 
 a facility that--
        (A) receives and consolidates recyclable material 
 from curbside recycling or drop-off facilities; and
        (B) loads the recyclable material onto tractor 
 trailers, railcars, or barges for transport to a 
 distant materials recovery facility or another 
 recycling-related facility.

    (9) Underserved community.--The term ``underserved 
 community'' means a community, including an unincorporated 
 area, without access to full recycling services because--
        (A) transportation, distance, or other reasons 
 render utilization of available processing capacity at 
 an existing materials recovery facility cost 
 prohibitive; or
        (B) the processing capacity of an existing 
 materials recovery facility is insufficient to manage 
 the volume of recyclable materials produced by that 
 community.

    (b) Establishment.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a pilot grant 
program, to be known as the ``Recycling Infrastructure and 
Accessibility Program'', to award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
eligible entities to improve recycling accessibility in a community or 
communities within the same geographic area.
            (c) Goal.--The goal of the pilot grant program is to fund eligible 
projects that will significantly improve accessibility to recycling 
systems through investments in infrastructure in underserved 
communities through the use of a hub-and-spoke model for recycling 
infrastructure development.
            (d) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the 
pilot grant program, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
Administrator an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Administrator may require.

    (e) Considerations.--In selecting eligible entities to receive a 
grant under the pilot grant program, the Administrator shall consider--

    (1) whether the community or communities in which the 
 eligible entity is seeking to carry out a proposed project has 
 curbside recycling;

    (2) whether the proposed project of the eligible entity 
 will improve accessibility to recycling services in a single 
 underserved community or multiple underserved communities; and

    (3) if the eligible entity is a public-private partnership, 
 the financial health of the private entity seeking to enter 
 into that public-private partnership.

    (f) Priority.--In selecting eligible entities to receive a grant 
under the pilot grant program, the Administrator shall give priority to 
eligible entities seeking to carry out a proposed project in a 
community in which there is not more than 1 materials recovery facility 
within a 75-mile radius of that community.

    (g) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity awarded a grant under the 
pilot grant program may use the grant funds for projects to improve 
recycling accessibility in communities, including in underserved 
communities, by--

    (1) increasing the number of transfer stations;

    (2) expanding curbside recycling collection programs where 
 appropriate; and

    (3) leveraging public-private partnerships to reduce the 
 costs associated with collecting and transporting recyclable 
 materials in underserved communities.

    (h) Prohibition on Use of Funds.--An eligible entity awarded a 
grant under the pilot grant program may not use the grant funds for 
projects relating to recycling education programs.
            (i) Minimum and Maximum Grant Amount.--A grant awarded to an 
eligible entity under the pilot grant program shall be in an amount--

    (1) not less than $500,000; and

    (2) not more than $15,000,000.

    (j) Set-Aside.--The Administrator shall set aside not less than 70 
percent of the amounts made available to carry out the pilot grant 
program for each fiscal year to award grants to eligible entities to 
carry out a proposed project or program in a single underserved 
community or multiple underserved communities.

    (k) Federal Share.--

    (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph

    (2) , the Federal 
 share of the cost of a project or program carried out by an 
 eligible entity using grant funds shall be not more than 90 
 percent.

    (2) Waiver.--The Administrator may waive the Federal share 
 requirement under paragraph

    (1) if the Administrator determines 
 that an eligible entity would experience significant financial 
 hardship as a result of that requirement.
            (l) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which the 
first grant is awarded under the pilot grant program, the Administrator 
shall submit to Congress a report describing the implementation of the 
pilot grant program, which shall include--

    (1) a list of eligible entities that have received a grant 
 under the pilot grant program;

    (2) the actions taken by each eligible entity that received 
 a grant under the pilot grant program to improve recycling 
 accessibility with grant funds; and

    (3) to the extent information is available, a description 
 of how grant funds received under the pilot grant program 
 improved recycling rates in each community in which a project 
 or program was carried out under the pilot grant program.
            (m) Authorization of Appropriations.--

    (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
 the Administrator to carry out the pilot grant program 
 $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to 
 remain available until expended.

    (2) Administrative costs and technical assistance.--Of the 
 amounts made available under paragraph

    (1) , the Administrator 
 may use up to 5 percent--
        (A) for administrative costs relating to carrying 
 out the pilot grant program; and
        (B) to provide technical assistance to eligible 
 entities applying for a grant under the pilot grant 
 program.
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