Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2023

S. 1189 Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act

3/29/2024

Carys Sherer (Hebron High School)

Modern America has an obsession with overconsumption, from the 292.2 million tons of trash produced annually to the 60 million tons of annual food waste. While great strides have been made to improve waste reduction programs, much of America is still falling behind. Often, this isn’t the fault of the community. 94% of Americans support recycling, yet only 35% actively do so due to a lack of convenient access. S. 1189, or Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2024, seeks to change this.

S. 1189 was introduced by the Republican junior senator from West Virginia, Shelley Moore Capito, on April 19, 2023. Support exists across the aisle, with 4 Republicans, 9 Democrats, and 1 Independent co-sponsors. The item mandates that within 18 months of passage the EPA Administrator must establish a competitive pilot grant program. The aptly named “Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program” will have the goal of improving accessibility in underserved communities through hub and spoke model recycling programs. The grants will be prioritized for areas with less than 1 recycling center in a 75-mile radius.

However, to fully understand the impact we have to understand what a hub and spoke model is and its benefits. Hub and spoke is a regional center (hub) located in higher populated areas that encourages surrounding smaller populations (spokes) to deliver recyclable material there. An example of this model is the New Mexico Recycling Coalition which has locations based in larger cities such as Santa Fe and Roswell, but serves as an intermediary advocacy party for various stakeholders and communities within New Mexico. “Spoke” communities are typically less affluent suburbs or rural areas. 

These rural communities are at the forefront of S. 1189 for improving accessibility to underserved communities: defined in the bill as areas where transport, distance, or quantity of material make the cost of recycling unreasonable or the community out produces their existing infrastructure’s capacity. In 2019, approximately 34 million single family homes did not have access to recycling, and rural communities benefit the most from this model since their markets are far less established. By consolidating resources, the cost of transportation and recycling is justified instead of a lack of material and immediate access making centers a poor investment. This is especially true when we acknowledge the ever-changing market of consumer goods and the sheer millions it take to establish and maintain a recycling center. The cost can prove too much for areas where localized “hubs” don’t lessen the financial burden of transportation and processing. Furthermore, changing international standards may further spike prices which can cause municipalities to cancel their recycling programs indefinitely. 

Additionally there is S. 1189’s heavy hitter, the actual funding of the program and grants. The bill states that the EPA will be allocated an additional $30 million for the grants for four fiscal years and will remain available until spent. This $30 million is 0.27% of the EPA’s proposed FY 2025 budget of $10.994 billion. Each grant will range from $500 thousand to $15 million and must be utilized for initiatives such as increasing the number of transfer stations, expand curbside collection programs, and/or leveraging Public Private Partnerships (PPP). PPP’s are relationships between private institutions and governments that typically see the private sector assisting with costs in exchange for drawing revenue from taxpayers/users for the duration of the contract. 

Furthermore, an amendment to the bill, proposed by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and passed in the Senate on March 12th, requires the federal government’s share of any projects to not exceed 95% and pushed back the original timeline of fiscal years where the EPA is allocated the aforementioned $30 million to FY 2025 to FY 2029. 

While the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2024 (S. 1189) is currently held at the desk of the House of Representatives after being received two weeks ago on Friday the 15th, we hope representatives will also pass the item. The grants which S. 1189 provides could bridge the gap caused by recycling inequality and make great strides towards a more sustainable future for all Americans.