Recycling legislation in the US : SWANA supports passage of Recycling Infastructure and Acessibility Act

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After the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act passed the US Senate The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) hopes that the bill, that aims to establish a grant program for communities who lack recycling access, will pass the House as well.

“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 access 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.

The studying and planning of a national composting strategy as part of recycling infrastructure is also one of the goals of the bill, the United States Composting Council is glad to notice.