U.S. EPA: Richard Mylott, 720-237-8119, mylott.richard@epa.gov
Logan City: Emily Malik, emily.malik@loganutah.org
Logan, Utah (September 13, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $4 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to develop a Regional Green Waste Facility in Logan City, Utah, that will provide composting services for biosolids and yard waste for the city and communities across Cache County. EPA is also making $652,000 available to the state of Utah to improve solid waste management planning and data collection in communities across the state. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this funding to expand and create new waste management facilities in Utah is part of EPA’s largest recycling investment in 30 years.
“EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling funds are helping communities across the nation reuse waste and reduce local and global environmental impacts,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “These new facilities will serve Logan City and Cache County residents for many years to come."
EPA’s grant to Logan City will help construct a new Regional Green Waste Facility which will compost biosolids, yard waste and other organic waste through new and expanded operations adjacent to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. This will include new utilities, stormwater pumps, piping and air plenums for aerated static composting; several acres of community gardens and landscaping; a new yard waste facility; and a new access road. The Logan Regional Green Waste Facility project will greatly expand Logan City and Cache County’s composting infrastructure, reduce landfill waste and manage biosolids, organics and food waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"We are grateful for the EPA funding to complete our biosolids composting facility,” said Issa Hamud, Logan City’s Environmental Department Director. “The EPA funding pushes this timeline up so that within 18 months we will no longer be landfilling biosolids from the regional wastewater treatment facility. This will help consolidate our green waste facility, save landfill space and avoid carbon emissions from landfilled biosolids for the next 50 years."
The grant award to Logan City is part of the agency's newly created Solid Waste for Recycling funding opportunity. As part of today’s announcement, EPA selected 25 communities across the nation to receive grants totaling more than $73 million. In addition, the agency is making available approximately $32 million for states and territories to improve solid waste management planning, data collection and plan implementation.
EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program is advancing the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.
These grants represent important steps toward achieving the EPA’s National Recycling Goal and Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal and will help build an economy devoted to keeping materials, products and services in circulation for as long as possible, what’s known as a circular economy.
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.