SWANA supports Senate passage of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (S. 3742) to establish a grant program for communities who lack recycling access. “SWANA applauds the Senate for unanimously passing the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act and urges the House of Representatives to schedule it for a vote quickly,” stated David Biderman, SWANA Executive Director & CEO. “This bill will help rural and disadvantaged communities improve their recycling systems, and we will work to encourage robust funding for the program,” Biderman added.
The bill directs the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program to award competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribes, and public-private partnerships. The goal is to fund projects that will significantly improve accessibility to recycling systems through investments in infrastructure in underserved communities. This will be achieved with the use of a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure development. SWANA strongly supported this legislation and is advocating for the House of Representatives to pass a companion bill.