The EPA is soliciting applications that will facilitate the creation of new capacity for, optimize existing capacity of, or identify strategies that: (1) Result in an increase in sustainable management of post-consumer materials; and (2) Reduce the amount of recyclable materials disposed of in landfills or incinerators.
Donor Name: Environmental Protection Agency
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/14/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000-$150,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
This RFA solicits applications that will improve local post-consumer materials management systems in the Mid-Atlantic Region. This opportunity focuses on development or enhancement of municipal recycling and composting/anaerobic digestion programs. Applications must seek to improve the ability of communities to make progress towards the National Recycling Goal or the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal and directly benefit at least one of the EPA Region 3 states and/or D.C.
Applications seeking to prevent generated waste and reduce/reuse materials are eligible under this solicitation. Region 3 currently does not have sufficient organics recycling infrastructure to support their food waste diversion goals. Facilitating the creation of additional organics recycling capacity is critical. As a result, Region 3 has incorporated a preference for anaerobic digestion and composting projects in the rating factors.
Project Objectives and Examples
- Applications must achieve one or more of the following objectives:
- Establish, increase, expand, or optimize collection and improve materials management infrastructure, including development of implementation plans to accomplish these activities;
- Plan for or fund the construction of tangible infrastructure, technology, or other improvements to reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream (including the organics waste stream);
- Establish, increase, expand, or optimize capacity for materials management, including development of plans or strategies to accomplish these activities;
- Establish, improve, expand, or optimize end-markets for the use of recycled commodities;
- Demonstrate, or develop a plan or strategy to demonstrate, a significant and measurable increase in the diversion rate or recycling rate;
- Demonstrate, or develop a plan or strategy to demonstrate, a significant and measurable improvement in the quality of materials collected for recycling (including organics recycling); or
- Advance Sustainable Materials Managment (SMM) priorities including: supporting the development of a circular economy, preventing food loss and waste through source reduction and/or food rescue, or decreasing plastics and packaging usage.
- Applications may include (but are not limited to) projects that plan for or fund:
- Development of and/or upgrades to drop-off and transfer stations (including but not limited to a hub-and-spoke model in rural communities), etc.
- The purchase of recycling equipment on a scale commensurate with the funding amounts offered by this RFA;
- Development of and/or upgrades to composting sites or anaerobic digesters to increase capacity for organics recycling;
- Development of and/or upgrades to curbside collection programs or drop-off stations for organics;
- Development of and/or upgrades to reuse infrastructure such as online reuse platforms, community repair spaces, technology and equipment to improve materials management reuse options, food donation, and upcycling, staging areas for material reuse/donation, reuse warehouses, and reuse centers, and electronic waste and computer recycling and refurbishing; or
- Other activities demonstrated by the applicant to further the objectives of this RFA.
Limitations on funding opportunity for 2023: Projects must support improvements to post-consumer materials management systems.
Funding Information
The total estimated funding expected to be available for assistance agreements under this competitive opportunity is $150,000. The minimum individual award is $50,000 and the maximum individual award is $150,000 for a one- to two-year grant period, subject to availability of funds, quality of eligible applications received, and other applicable considerations.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible: tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations (that are not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby). Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible.
- Applications must be for projects that directly benefit at least one of the EPA Region 3 states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia (DC).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
