[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 111 (Thursday, June 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35200-35202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12457]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0342, FRL-9840-01-OLEM]


Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Program; Request for 
Information

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) is 
developing and implementing several new programs as directed by the 
2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also referred to as 
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This action provides the public with 
the opportunity to share information to inform the development of the 
Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program, which 
will fund improvements to local post-consumer materials management 
including municipal recycling programs and assist local waste 
management authorities in making improvements to local waste management 
systems. OLEM is seeking information from a broad array of stakeholders 
about needed improvements to solid waste management systems (e.g., 
waste reduction, collection, sorting, processing, and end-markets for 
reuse and recycling), including but not limited to industry, 
researchers, academia, state, tribal, and local governments including 
U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, other federal agencies, 
community groups, non-governmental organizations, the public, and 
international organizations.

DATES: Comments and information must be received on or before July 25, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Responses to this Request for Information (RFI) may be 
submitted by a single individual or by a group. Comments submitted in 
response to this notice may be submitted through one of the following 
methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery or Courier: EPA Docket Center, WJC West 
Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. 
The Docket Center's hours of operations are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 
Monday-Friday (except Federal Holidays).
    Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from 
Regulations.gov. EPA may publish any comment received to its public 
docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, 
video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. For additional 
submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information 
about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making 
effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID 
No. OLEM-2022-0340 for this RFI. Comments received may be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal 
information provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments and 
additional information on the Request for Information process, see the 
``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning this 
document, contact Dan Halpert, Resource Conservation and Sustainability 
Division, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Office of Land 
and Emergency Management, Mail Code 5306T, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004; Telephone: 
(202) 566-0816; Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b181c020d190b2e3b2a652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e8bbbfa1aebaa88d9889c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>. For more information on this 
action please visit https://www.epa.gov/rcra/infrastructure.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

    Response to this RFI is voluntary. Responses to this RFI may be 
submitted by a single party or by a team. Respondents should respond to 
this RFI in a Microsoft Word (.docx) file or Adobe PDF (.pdf) file. 
This document should contain the following:
    <bullet> Two clearly delineated sections: (1) Cover page with 
company name and contact information; and (2) responses should indicate 
which topic and specific questions are being addressed.
    <bullet> 1-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides).
    <bullet> Times New Roman and 12-point font.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or 
electronic links of the referenced materials. No confidential and/or 
business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or 
personally identifiable information should be submitted in response to 
this

[[Page 35201]]

RFI. Privacy Note: All comments received from members of the public 
will be available for public viewing on Regulations.gov. In accordance 
with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot 
be accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract. 
Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all 
expenses associated with response preparation.

II. General Information

A. What is the purpose of this RFI?

    Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; Pub. L. 
117-58), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is 
directed to develop several new solid waste recycling programs. This 
RFI covers the following activities established by the BIL:
    <bullet> Support the implementation of a strategy to improve post-
consumer materials management and infrastructure;
    <bullet> Support improvements to local post-consumer materials 
management, including recycling programs; and
    <bullet> Assist local waste management authorities in making 
improvements to local solid waste management systems.
    The term post-consumer materials management refers to the systems, 
operation, supervision and long-term management of processes and 
equipment used for post-use material (including packaging, goods, 
products, and other materials), including collection; transport; and 
systems and processes related to post-use materials that can be 
recovered, reused, recycled, repaired, or refurbished.
    This RFI seeks information from a broad array of stakeholders such 
as industry, researchers, academia, state, territories, local and 
tribal governments, other federal agencies, community groups, non-
governmental organizations, international organizations, the public, 
and all other stakeholders involved in the recycling system from the 
collection and sorting to the reuse and recycling. OLEM is seeking 
information about needed improvements to post-consumer materials 
management (e.g., waste reduction, collection, sorting, processing, and 
end-markets for reuse and recycling). This stakeholder input will 
inform the Agency's efforts to develop effective grant programs that 
improve recycling infrastructure across the nation.
    This RFI is part of a series of RFIs EPA will be issuing to inform 
the development of new programs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure 
Law. Other RFIs that are related include those on the Recycling 
Education and Outreach--Grant Program and Model Recycling Program 
Toolkit and the Development of Best Practices for Collection of 
Batteries to be Recycled and Voluntary Battery Labeling Guidelines.

III. Background

    Approximately half of global greenhouse gas emissions are the 
result of natural resource extraction and processing.\1\ Increasing 
recycling reduces climate, environmental, and social impacts of 
materials use, and keeps valuable resources in use instead of in 
landfills. Some communities that lack waste management infrastructure 
do not have curbside waste collection services, recycling, or 
composting programs, which increases the burden on our landfills, 
decreases their capacity, and increases greenhouse gas emissions. 
Mismanaged waste also can compound social and economic conditions in 
historically underserved and overburdened communities. Resources and 
commodities disposed of in landfills amount to a financial loss for 
recycling businesses and industries nationwide.
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    \1\ International Resource Panel (2019). Global Resources 
Outlook 2019: Natural Resources for the Future We Want. Report of 
the International Resource Panel. United Nations Environment 
Programme. Nairobi, Kenya.
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    Section 302(a) of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (Pub. L. 116-224) 
authorized EPA to create a grant program to support post-consumer 
materials management and recycling efforts, now known as the SWIFR 
program. The IIJA was the first legislation to fund EPA's SWIFR program 
providing EPA with $275,000,000 to award grants, in increments of $55 
million per year from fiscal years 2022-2026, to remain available until 
expended. Grants issued under SWIFR will support implementation of a 
strategy to improve post-consumer materials management and 
infrastructure; improvements to local post-consumer materials 
management and recycling programs; and assist local waste management 
authorities in making improvements to local solid waste management 
systems.
    EPA seeks input through this RFI to guide the program design to 
ensure that the SWIFR program meets the actual needs for improving 
materials management. Materials within the scope of this request 
include commonly recycled and reused materials, such as aluminum, 
glass, paper and plastics, as well as food, organics (yard waste, tree 
trimmings, wood, etc.), textiles, electronics and construction and 
demolition materials. Biosolids, hazardous waste and industrial wastes 
such as coal combustion residuals or slag are not within the scope of 
this request. Landfilling, incineration/combustion, and energy recovery 
technologies are not within the scope of this request.
    EPA will not consider responses to this RFI to be proposals for 
financial assistance projects or unsolicited requests for financial 
assistance. Do not include confidential business information (CBI) or 
other privileged material in responses. Additionally, those submitting 
responses are solely responsible for all expenses associated with 
response preparation. Information gathered through this RFI may be used 
to inform potential strategies for supporting and improving state, 
territorial, tribal, and local recycling operations. ORCR welcomes 
comments from all stakeholders.

IV. Request for Information

    Over the course of Spring 2022, ORCR will be hosting virtual 
meetings across the country with interested stakeholders to inform the 
development of the new programs established by the IIJA. This RFI and 
future RFIs aim to supplement those planned consultations and provide 
all interested individuals and organizations with the opportunity to 
share their perspectives on barriers and opportunities related to solid 
waste management infrastructure. SWIFR provides EPA with authority to 
award grants to states, the District of Columbia, territories (the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), tribes 
and intertribal consortia, certain former reservations in Oklahoma, and 
Alaskan Native Villages and political subdivisions (e.g., local 
governments) for improvements to local post-consumer materials 
management including municipal recycling programs and to assist local 
waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste 
management systems.
    Specifically, when responding to the questions below about solid 
waste or post-consumer materials management, consider in your response 
the recovery, reuse, recycle, repair, and/or refurbishment of municipal 
solid waste, as well as construction and demolition materials. This 
includes source reduction and reuse, sending materials to material 
recovery facilities, composting, industrial uses (e.g., rendering and 
anaerobic digestion), and feeding animals. OLEM is interested in 
perspectives on the following topics:
    <bullet> What are the barriers and challenges facing states, 
territories,

[[Page 35202]]

tribes, local governments and communities with regard to post-consumer 
materials management and how can SWIFR grants assist in overcoming 
those barriers?
    <bullet> EPA is considering a wide range of eligible uses for SWIFR 
funds including planning, facility-specific feasibility studies, 
infrastructure improvements such as equipment upgrades, and new 
construction. Are there other activities that EPA should consider for 
funding eligibility when completing the design of the SWIFR grant 
program? For other activity recommendations, please provide associated 
estimated costs.
    <bullet> What are some examples of post-consumer materials 
management projects, studies or initiatives, and associated estimated 
costs, that would support disadvantaged communities, rural communities, 
communities with environmental justice concerns, and tribes and 
territories?
    <bullet> Are there negative impacts from post-consumer materials 
management facilities on communities? How could grant funds be used to 
eliminate or minimize those negative impacts? For any projects, 
studies, or initiatives referenced in response to this RFI, please also 
provide associated estimated costs.
    <bullet> Are there specific recommendations that EPA should be 
considering to improve post-consumer materials management, such as:
    [cir] Investments needed for state, territorial, tribal, and local 
waste management programs;
    [cir] Examples of equipment and tangible infrastructure, 
technology, or other improvements needed to increase access and/or 
increase recovery of materials;
    [cir] Recommendations on how to create greater system wide 
consistency on managing post-consumer materials;
    [cir] Examples of projects, studies, or initiatives, and associated 
estimated costs, to increase access for communities without robust 
post-consumer materials management programs;
    [cir] Examples of projects, studies, or initiatives, and associated 
estimated costs, to implement innovative approaches to improve post-
consumer materials management;
    [cir] Programs or projects that will support local, state or 
regional markets for material; and
    [cir] State and local data needs to improve measurement of 
materials and how they are managed.
    <bullet> Should EPA consider a phased approach to grant 
distribution to allow multi-year financing options? If so, please 
provide detailed recommendations on the phases EPA should consider.
    <bullet> Should EPA consider allocating the funds to allow for a 
greater number of smaller grants to assist with discreet projects and 
planning, or a smaller number of larger grants to support a more 
complex investment?
    <bullet> Do you have any additional information that might be 
considered by EPA in developing future programs to improve post-
consumer materials management programs infrastructure?

V. Disclaimer and Important Note

    This request for information is issued solely for information, 
research and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for 
Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA). Responding to this 
RFI will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or 
individual in any subsequently issued solicitation, RFP, or RFA. Any 
future development activities related to this activity will be 
announced separately on https://www.sam.gov and/or https://www.grants.gov. This RFI does not represent any award commitment on the 
part of the U.S. Government, nor does it obligate the Government to pay 
for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of any responses.

    Dated: June 3, 2022.
Carolyn Hoskinson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2022-12457 Filed 6-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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