The Environmental Protection Agency opens up two new competitions to address solid waste

October 1, 2024

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  has opened two new competitions to address solid waste under the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program (SWIFR): one for Political Subdivisions/Communities and one for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia. The grant will fund projects that:

  • Implement the building a circular economy for all strategy series.
  • Improve local post-consumer materials management programs, including municipal recycling.
  • Make improvements to local waste management systems.

Political Subdivisions (cities, counties, townships, villages, parishes, districts, etc.)

  • Tracks:
    • Track 1: 40%  of money allocated to Justice40 communities
    • Track 2: 60% of money allocated to all other communities
  • Due date: December 20, 2024; optional Notice of Intent to apply by November 15, 2024
  • Amount: Minimum $500,000 to maximum $5,000,000

Tribes and Intertribal Consortia (Federally Recognized Tribes and Intertribal Consortia)

  • Due date: March 14, 2024 at 11:59 ET
  • Amount: $100,000 to $1,500,000

 

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Eligible Activities (Both Programs)

Materials and waste streams within scope of this funding opportunity include municipal solid waste, including plastics, organics, paper, metal, glass, and construction and demolition debris. This also includes the management pathways of source reduction, reuse, sending materials to material recovery facilities, composting, and industrial uses (e.g., rendering, anaerobic digestion), and feeding animals.

All applications must achieve one or more of the following objectives:

  • Establish, increase, expand, or optimize
    • Collection and improve materials management infrastructure,
    • Capacity for materials management, or
    • End markets for the use of recycled commodities.
  • Increase diversion, recycling rate, and quality of materials collected for municipal solid waste. Create tangible infrastructure, technology, or other improvements to reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream.

Applications may include (but are not limited to) projects that fund:

  • Increasing access to prevention, reuse, and recycling in areas that currently do not have access; including development of or upgrades to drop-off and transfer stations
  • Purchasing recycling equipment
  • Upgrades to material recovery facilities (MRFs)
  • Anaerobic digestors for organics and food waste recycling
  • Education and outreach activities as a minor element of larger eligible projects
  • Curbside collection programs or drop-off stations for organics
  • Development of and/or upgrades to reuse infrastructure (e.g., online reuse platforms, community repair spaces, technology and equipment to improve materials management reuse options, food donation, upcycling, staging areas for material reuse/donation, reuse warehouses, reuse centers, and electronic waste and computer recycling and refurbishing) and/or
  • Other activities that the applicant believes will further the objectives of the funding opportunity provided those activities are eligible for funding under statute and the terms of the funding opportunity.

Additional Activities for the Tribes and Intertribal Consortia Competition

  • Training, technical assistance, and/or tools required to plan, establish, or implement post-consumer materials recovery (e.g., applicants may apply for funding for training employees on use and safety of recycling equipment, raise awareness of infrastructure and processes);
  • Education and outreach activities relating to post-consumer materials management; Land acquisition when necessary for construction or improvement for improvements to Tribal recycling facilities and waste management facilities.