[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2159 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2159
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to
establish a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 23, 2021
Mr. Phillips (for himself and Mr. Joyce of Ohio) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to
establish a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program,
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 Enhancements to Collection
and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education Act of 2021'' or the
``RECYCLE Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR.
In this Act, the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency.
SEC. 3. CONSUMER RECYCLING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish a program
(referred to in this section as the ``grant program'') to award
competitive grants to eligible entities to improve the effectiveness of
residential and community recycling programs through public education
and outreach.
(b) Criteria.--The Administrator shall award grants under the grant
program for projects that, by using one or more eligible activities
described in subsection (e)--
(1) inform the public about residential or community
recycling programs;
(2) provide information about the recycled materials that
are accepted as part of a residential or community recycling
program that provides for the separate collection of
residential solid waste from recycled material; and
(3) increase collection rates and decrease contamination in
residential and community recycling programs.
(c) Eligible Entities.--
(1) In general.--An entity that is eligible to receive a
grant under the grant program is--
(A) a State;
(B) a unit of local government;
(C) a Tribal government;
(D) a nonprofit organization; or
(E) a public-private partnership.
(2) Coordination of activities.--Two or more entities
described in paragraph (1) may receive a grant under the grant
program to coordinate the provision of information to residents
that may access two or more residential recycling programs,
including programs that accept different recycled materials, to
provide to the residents information regarding differences
among those residential recycling programs.
(d) Requirement.--
(1) In general.--To receive a grant under the grant
program, an eligible entity shall demonstrate to the
Administrator that the grant funds will be used to encourage
the collection of recycled materials that are sold to an
existing or developing market.
(2) Business plans and financial data.--
(A) In general.--An eligible entity may make a
demonstration under paragraph (1) through the
submission to the Administrator of appropriate business
plans and financial data.
(B) Confidentiality.--The Administrator shall treat
any business plans or financial data received under
subparagraph (A) as confidential information.
(e) Eligible Activities.--An eligible entity that receives a grant
under the grant program may use the grant funds for activities
including--
(1) public service announcements;
(2) a door-to-door education and outreach campaign;
(3) social media and digital outreach;
(4) an advertising campaign on recycling awareness;
(5) the development and dissemination of--
(A) a toolkit for a municipal and commercial
recycling program;
(B) information on the importance of quality in the
recycling stream;
(C) information on the economic and environmental
benefits of recycling; and
(D) information on what happens to materials after
the materials are placed into a residential or
community recycling program;
(6) businesses recycling outreach;
(7) bin, cart, and other receptacle labeling and signs; and
(8) such other activities that the Administrator determines
are appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) Prohibition on Use of Funds.--No funds may be awarded under the
grant program for a residential recycling program that--
(1) does not provide for the separate collection of
residential solid waste (as defined in section 246.101 of title
40, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of
enactment of this Act)) from recycled material (as defined in
that section), unless the funds are used to promote a
transition to a system that separately collects recycled
materials; or
(2) promotes the establishment of, or conversion to, a
residential collection system that does not provide for the
separate collection of residential solid waste from recycled
material (as those terms are defined under paragraph (1)).
(g) Model Recycling Program Toolkit.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the grant program, the
Administrator, in consultation with other relevant Federal
agencies, States, Indian Tribes, units of local government,
nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, shall develop
a model recycling program toolkit for States, Indian Tribes,
and units of local government that includes, at a minimum--
(A) a standardized set of terms and examples that
may be used to describe materials that are accepted by
a residential recycling program;
(B) information that the Administrator determines
can be widely applied across residential recycling
programs, taking into consideration the differences in
recycled materials accepted by residential recycling
programs;
(C) educational principles on best practices for
the collection and processing of recycled materials;
(D) a community self-assessment guide to identify
gaps in existing recycling programs;
(E) training modules that enable States and
nonprofit organizations to provide technical assistance
to units of local government;
(F) access to consumer educational materials that
States, Indian Tribes, and units of local government
can adapt and use in recycling programs; and
(G) a guide to measure the effectiveness of a grant
received under the grant program, including
standardized measurements for recycling rates and
decreases in contamination.
(2) Requirement.--In developing the standardized set of
terms and examples under paragraph (1)(A), the Administrator
may not establish any requirements for--
(A) what materials shall be accepted by a
residential recycling program; or
(B) the labeling of products.
(h) School Curriculum.--The Administrator shall provide assistance
to the educational community, including nonprofit organizations, such
as an organization the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics program of which incorporates recycling, to promote the
introduction of recycling principles and best practices into public
school curricula.
(i) Reports.--
(1) To the administrator.--Not earlier than 180 days, and
not later than 2 years, after the date on which a grant under
the grant program is awarded to an eligible entity, the
eligible entity shall submit to the Administrator a report
describing, by using the guide developed under subsection
(g)(1)(G)--
(A) the change in volume of recycled material
collected through the activities funded with the grant;
(B) the change in participation rate of the
recycling program funded with the grant;
(C) the reduction of contamination in the recycling
stream as a result of the activities funded with the
grant; and
(D) such other information as the Administrator
determines to be appropriate.
(2) To congress.--The Administrator shall submit to
Congress an annual report describing--
(A) the effectiveness of residential recycling
programs awarded funds under the grant program,
including statistics comparing the quantity and quality
of recycled materials collected by those programs, as
described in the reports submitted to the Administrator
under paragraph (1); and
(B) recommendations on additional actions to
improve residential recycling.
SEC. 4. FEDERAL PROCUREMENT.
Section 6002 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6962) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (e), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``and from time to time, revise'' and
inserting ``review not less frequently than once every 5 years,
and, if appropriate, revise, in consultation with recyclers and
manufacturers of products containing recycled content, not
later than 2 years after the completion of the initial review
after the date of enactment of the Recycling Enhancements to
Collection and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education
Act of 2021 and thereafter, as appropriate''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(j) Consultation and Provision of Information by Administrator.--
The Administrator shall--
``(1) consult with each procuring agency, including
contractors of the procuring agency, to clarify the
responsibilities of the procuring agency under this section;
and
``(2) provide to each procuring agency information on the
requirements under this section and the responsibilities of the
procuring agency under this section.
``(k) Reports.--The Administrator, in consultation with the
Administrator of General Services, shall submit to Congress an annual
report describing--
``(1) the quantity of federally procured recycled products
listed in the guidelines under subsection (e); and
``(2) with respect to the products described in paragraph
(1), the percentage of recycled material in each product.''.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Administrator to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
(b) Requirement.--Of the amount made available under subsection (a)
for a fiscal year, not less than 10 percent shall be allocated to low-
income communities (as defined in section 45D(e) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986).
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