I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6159 
To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 1, 2023 
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS (for herself, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. BUCSHON, and Mr. 
RESCHENTHALER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling 
accessibility, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recycling Infrastruc-
ture and Accessibility Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESSIBILITY 
PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(2) 
CURBSIDE
RECYCLING.—The 
term 
‘‘curbside recycling’’ means the process by which 
residential recyclable materials are picked up 
curbside. 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a State (as defined in section 1004 of 
the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 
6903)); 
(B) a unit of local government; 
(C) an Indian Tribe; and 
(D) a public-private partnership. 
(4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(5) MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘materials 
recovery facility’’ means a recycling facility 
where primarily residential recyclables, which 
are diverted from disposal by a generator and 
collected separately from municipal solid waste, 
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are mechanically or manually sorted into com-
modities for further processing into specifica-
tion-grade commodities for sale to end users. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘materials re-
covery facility’’ does not include a solid waste 
management facility that may process munic-
ipal solid waste to remove recyclable materials. 
(6) PILOT GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot 
grant program’’ means the Recycling Infrastructure 
and Accessibility Program established under sub-
section (b). 
(7) RECYCLABLE MATERIAL.—The term ‘‘recy-
clable material’’ means obsolete, previously used, off- 
specification, surplus, or incidentally produced mate-
rial for processing into a specification-grade com-
modity for which a market exists. 
(8) TRANSFER STATION.—The term ‘‘transfer 
station’’ means a facility that— 
(A) receives and consolidates recyclable 
material from curbside recycling or drop-off fa-
cilities; and 
(B) loads the recyclable material onto trac-
tor trailers, railcars, or barges for transport to 
a distant materials recovery facility or another 
recycling-related facility. 
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(9) UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘‘underserved community’’ means a community, in-
cluding an unincorporated area, without access to 
full recycling services because— 
(A) transportation, distance, or other rea-
sons render utilization of available processing 
capacity at an existing materials recovery facil-
ity cost prohibitive; or 
(B) the processing capacity of an existing 
materials recovery facility is insufficient to 
manage the volume of recyclable materials pro-
duced by that community. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall establish a pilot grant program, to be known as the 
‘‘Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program’’, to 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
to improve recycling accessibility in a community or com-
munities within the same geographic area. 
(c) GOAL.—The goal of the pilot grant program is 
to fund eligible projects that will significantly improve ac-
cessibility to recycling systems through investments in in-
frastructure in underserved communities through the use 
of a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure de-
velopment. 
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(d) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under the pilot grant program, an eligible entity shall sub-
mit to the Administrator an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Ad-
ministrator may require. 
(e) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting eligible entities 
to receive a grant under the pilot grant program, the Ad-
ministrator shall consider— 
(1) whether the community or communities in 
which the eligible entity is seeking to carry out a 
proposed project has curbside recycling; 
(2) whether the proposed project of the eligible 
entity will improve accessibility to recycling services 
in a single underserved community or multiple un-
derserved communities; and 
(3) if the eligible entity is a public-private part-
nership, the financial health of the private entity 
seeking to enter into that public-private partnership. 
(f) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 
a grant under the pilot grant program, the Administrator 
shall give priority to eligible entities seeking to carry out 
a proposed project in a community in which there is not 
more than 1 materials recovery facility within a 75-mile 
radius of that community. 
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(g) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity awarded a 
grant under the pilot grant program may use the grant 
funds for projects to improve recycling accessibility in 
communities, including in underserved communities, by— 
(1) increasing the number of transfer stations; 
(2) expanding curbside recycling collection pro-
grams where appropriate; and 
(3) leveraging public-private partnerships to re-
duce the costs associated with collecting and trans-
porting recyclable materials in underserved commu-
nities. 
(h) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible 
entity awarded a grant under the pilot grant program may 
not use the grant funds for projects relating to recycling 
education programs. 
(i) MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—A 
grant awarded to an eligible entity under the pilot grant 
program shall be in an amount— 
(1) not less than $500,000; and 
(2) not more than $15,000,000. 
(j) SET-ASIDE.—The Administrator shall set aside 
not less than 70 percent of the amounts made available 
to carry out the pilot grant program for each fiscal year 
to award grants to eligible entities to carry out a proposed 
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project or program in a single underserved community or 
multiple underserved communities. 
(k) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
the Federal share of the cost of a project or pro-
gram carried out by an eligible entity using grant 
funds shall be not more than 90 percent. 
(2) WAIVER.—The Administrator may waive 
the Federal share requirement under paragraph (1) 
if the Administrator determines that an eligible enti-
ty would experience significant financial hardship as 
a result of that requirement. 
(l) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
on which the first grant is awarded under the pilot grant 
program, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a re-
port describing the implementation of the pilot grant pro-
gram, which shall include— 
(1) a list of eligible entities that have received 
a grant under the pilot grant program; 
(2) the actions taken by each eligible entity that 
received a grant under the pilot grant program to 
improve recycling accessibility with grant funds; and 
(3) to the extent information is available, a de-
scription of how grant funds received under the pilot 
grant program improved recycling rates in each com-
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munity in which a project or program was carried 
out under the pilot grant program. 
(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the 
pilot grant program $30,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027, to remain available until 
expended. 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS
AND
TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE.—Of the amounts made available under 
paragraph (1), the Administrator may use up to 5 
percent— 
(A) for administrative costs relating to car-
rying out the pilot grant program; and 
(B) to provide technical assistance to eligi-
ble entities applying for a grant under the pilot 
grant program. 
Æ 
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