NEW YORK (Sept. 13, 2023) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) will receive almost $675,000 to help it reduce waste across its islands. The grant from EPA will be awarded using funding from the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The grant to the U.S. Virgin Islands will support ongoing efforts to address its solid waste crisis. Landfills in the USVI are quickly reaching their capacity. Reducing waste and bolstering recycling are critical components to addressing this crisis.
“President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda tackles our most pressing environmental challenges including climate change and lead in drinking water, and today we add another historic investment to better manage waste in communities across America,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “By investing in better recycling, EPA is deploying resources to provide recycling services across the country, including in disadvantaged communities, while preventing waste that contributes to the climate crisis, supporting local economies and creating good-paying jobs.”
“Previous generations have had a throw away mentality that just simply does not match our needs or help us reach out goals for a healthy environment that can be enjoyed for generations to come,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “The SWIFR grant program seeks to put the common adage ‘waste not want not’ into action. This funding will support the work that EPA is already doing with the U.S. Virgin Islands to help reduce waste and improve the way materials are managed.”
“I am pleased to join the Environmental Protection Agency in announcing that the Virgin Islands will receive $673,004 through the newly created Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants. We are grateful to EPA for providing the necessary resources to improve solid waste data collection, plan implementation, and management, which includes source reduction, recycling, and composting. This funding, which will go to the VI Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), with sub-awards to the VI Waste Management Authority, will go a long way to help maintain the Virgin Islands environment. This grant opportunity was authorized by the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act of 2019 and funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, both bipartisan bills. I am grateful for the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to improving the resiliency and infrastructure of underserved communities,” said Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (USVI).
Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol said, “DPNR is extremely grateful for the continued support of our federal partners on the department’s mission to safeguard and revitalize our communities by increasing recycling and waste reduction initiatives. This funding will allow us to outfit new convenience centers and train solid waste staff in new Zero waste technologies. It will also afford us more opportunities for outreach and education to promote reducing, reusing, recycling and composting.”
All states and territories also received SWIFR funding. The money for states and territories will help support their efforts to improve post-consumer materials management programs through planning, data collection, and the implementation of plans. The funding is part of EPA’s overall efforts to invest in America by strengthening infrastructure and implementing programs for lasting change. It will aid communities and states in modeling what’s known as a “circular economy” by building a program to keep materials and products in circulation for as long as possible.
EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program is also advancing President's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Approximately $56 million out of the $73 million – or 76% - of the total funding for communities will go toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.
Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants for Communities
More than two thirds of the funding for the projects announced today are going toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. The recycling grants for communities will support improvements to waste management systems across the country and will range from $500,000 to $4 million per grant. This will allow resources to be used more efficiently and reduce the impact have on our planet and the climate. Projects that will be supported by this investment include purchasing new fleets of recycling collection vehicles and bins to provide curbside recycling services for communities currently lacking access; upgrades to material recovery facilities to reduce contamination; enhancements to composting and organics programs and infrastructure, and construction of various types of facilities that improve recycling, composting, and reuse infrastructure for materials such as plastics and food waste. Collectively, these grants from EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program will keep valuable resources out of our landfills and will significantly contribute to our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. This grant will also help fund recycling services to disadvantaged communities that have been traditionally underserved by recycling services. And they will create good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities across the country.
Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants for States and Territories
The recycling grants for states and territories will provide funding to all 56 states, territories, and the District of Columbia via grants ranging from $360,000 to $750,000; with the highest grant amounts supporting those states and territories that need it the most. These grants represent important steps toward achieving the EPA’s National Recycling Goal and Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal. Funded activities include improving post-consumer materials management programs through developing or updating solid waste management plans and strengthening data collection efforts.
Additional Background:
Today’s announcement for states, territories, and communities is the first round of funding from this new grant program. In the coming months, EPA will announce the selected recipients of the recycling grants for Tribes and intertribal consortia, as well as the recipients of EPA’s new Recycling Education and Outreach grant program.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $275 million total from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2026 for grants authorized under the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act - the largest investment in recycling in 30 years. The recycling grants are supplemented with additional funding provided through EPA’s annual appropriations. EPA has selected these entities to receive funding for recycling infrastructure projects and anticipates making all the awards announced today once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
For details about the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program selectees and other Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-related funding opportunities, visit the EPA recycling grants webpage.
For more information about SWIFR visit the SWIFR website. To learn more about how EPA is Investing in America visit Investing in America.
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.
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