I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5906 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
establish a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2020 
Mr. PHILLIPS (for himself and Mr. JOYCE of Ohio) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency to establish a consumer recycling education 
and outreach grant program, 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 Enhance-
ments to Collection and Yield through Consumer Learning 
and Education Act of 2020’’ or the ‘‘RECYCLE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 
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SEC. 3. CONSUMER RECYCLING EDUCATION AND OUT-
REACH GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish 
a program (referred to in this section as the ‘‘grant pro-
gram’’) to award competitive grants to eligible entities to 
improve the effectiveness of residential and community re-
cycling programs through public education and outreach. 
(b) CRITERIA.—The Administrator shall award 
grants under the grant program for projects that, by using 
one or more eligible activities described in subsection (e)— 
(1) inform the public about residential or com-
munity recycling programs; 
(2) provide information about the recycled ma-
terials that are accepted as part of a residential or 
community recycling program that provides for the 
separate collection of residential solid waste from re-
cycled material; and 
(3) increase collection rates and decrease con-
tamination in residential and community recycling 
programs. 
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity that is eligible to 
receive a grant under the grant program is— 
(A) a State; 
(B) a unit of local government; 
(C) a Tribal government; 
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(D) a nonprofit organization; or 
(E) a public-private partnership. 
(2) COORDINATION
OF
ACTIVITIES.—Two or 
more entities described in paragraph (1) may receive 
a grant under the grant program to coordinate the 
provision of information to residents that may access 
two or more residential recycling programs, includ-
ing programs that accept different recycled mate-
rials, to provide to the residents information regard-
ing differences among those residential recycling 
programs. 
(d) REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under the 
grant program, an eligible entity shall demonstrate 
to the Administrator that the grant funds will be 
used to encourage the collection of recycled materials 
that are sold to an existing or developing market. 
(2) BUSINESS PLANS AND FINANCIAL DATA.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may 
make a demonstration under paragraph (1) 
through the submission to the Administrator of 
appropriate business plans and financial data. 
(B) 
CONFIDENTIALITY.—The 
Adminis-
trator shall treat any business plans or financial 
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data received under subparagraph (A) as con-
fidential information. 
(e) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under the grant program may use the grant 
funds for activities including— 
(1) public service announcements; 
(2) a door-to-door education and outreach cam-
paign; 
(3) social media and digital outreach; 
(4) an advertising campaign on recycling aware-
ness; 
(5) the development and dissemination of— 
(A) a toolkit for a municipal and commer-
cial recycling program; 
(B) information on the importance of qual-
ity in the recycling stream; 
(C) information on the economic and envi-
ronmental benefits of recycling; and 
(D) information on what happens to mate-
rials after the materials are placed into a resi-
dential or community recycling program; 
(6) businesses recycling outreach; 
(7) bin, cart, and other receptacle labeling and 
signs; and 
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(8) such other activities that the Administrator 
determines are appropriate to carry out the purposes 
of this section. 
(f) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—No funds may 
be awarded under the grant program for a residential re-
cycling program that— 
(1) does not provide for the separate collection 
of residential solid waste (as defined in section 
246.101 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (as 
in effect on the date of enactment of this Act)) from 
recycled material (as defined in that section), unless 
the funds are used to promote a transition to a sys-
tem that separately collects recycled materials; or 
(2) promotes the establishment of, or conver-
sion to, a residential collection system that does not 
provide for the separate collection of residential solid 
waste from recycled material (as those terms are de-
fined under paragraph (1)). 
(g) MODEL RECYCLING PROGRAM TOOLKIT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the grant 
program, the Administrator, in consultation with 
other relevant Federal agencies, States, Indian 
Tribes, units of local government, nonprofit organi-
zations, and the private sector, shall develop a model 
recycling program toolkit for States, Indian Tribes, 
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and units of local government that includes, at a 
minimum— 
(A) a standardized set of terms and exam-
ples that may be used to describe materials that 
are accepted by a residential recycling program; 
(B) information that the Administrator de-
termines can be widely applied across residen-
tial recycling programs, taking into consider-
ation the differences in recycled materials ac-
cepted by residential recycling programs; 
(C) educational principles on best practices 
for the collection and processing of recycled ma-
terials; 
(D) a community self-assessment guide to 
identify gaps in existing recycling programs; 
(E) training modules that enable States 
and nonprofit organizations to provide technical 
assistance to units of local government; 
(F) access to consumer educational mate-
rials that States, Indian Tribes, and units of 
local government can adapt and use in recycling 
programs; and 
(G) a guide to measure the effectiveness of 
a grant received under the grant program, in-
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cluding standardized measurements for recy-
cling rates and decreases in contamination. 
(2) REQUIREMENT.—In developing the stand-
ardized set of terms and examples under paragraph 
(1)(A), the Administrator may not establish any re-
quirements for— 
(A) what materials shall be accepted by a 
residential recycling program; or 
(B) the labeling of products. 
(h) SCHOOL CURRICULUM.—The Administrator shall 
provide assistance to the educational community, includ-
ing nonprofit organizations, such as an organization the 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pro-
gram of which incorporates recycling, to promote the in-
troduction of recycling principles and best practices into 
public school curricula. 
(i) REPORTS.— 
(1) TO THE ADMINISTRATOR.—Not earlier than 
180 days, and not later than 2 years, after the date 
on which a grant under the grant program is award-
ed to an eligible entity, the eligible entity shall sub-
mit to the Administrator a report describing, by 
using 
the 
guide 
developed 
under 
subsection 
(g)(1)(G)— 
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(A) the change in volume of recycled mate-
rial collected through the activities funded with 
the grant; 
(B) the change in participation rate of the 
recycling program funded with the grant; 
(C) the reduction of contamination in the 
recycling stream as a result of the activities 
funded with the grant; and 
(D) such other information as the Admin-
istrator determines to be appropriate. 
(2) TO
CONGRESS.—The Administrator shall 
submit to Congress an annual report describing— 
(A) the effectiveness of residential recy-
cling programs awarded funds under the grant 
program, including statistics comparing the 
quantity and quality of recycled materials col-
lected by those programs, as described in the 
reports submitted to the Administrator under 
paragraph (1); and 
(B) recommendations on additional actions 
to improve residential recycling. 
SEC. 4. FEDERAL PROCUREMENT. 
Section 6002 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 
U.S.C. 6962) is amended— 
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