RECYCLE Act of 2021
Bill: S.923 | Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob (R-OH)
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Recycling Enhancements to Collection and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education Act of 2021 or the RECYCLE Act
This bill provides support for recycling programs.
Specifically, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program to award grants to improve the effectiveness of residential and community recycling programs through public education and outreach.
In addition, the EPA must develop a model recycling program toolkit for states, Native American tribes, and local governments.
Finally, the bill specifies that the EPA's review of its federal procurement guidelines for purchasing certain recycled materials and items made with such materials must occur at least once every five years.

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
 establish a consumer recycling education and outreach grant program, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Recycling Enhancements to Collection 
and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education Act of 2021'' or the 
``RECYCLE Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATOR.

    In this Act, the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency.

SEC. 3. CONSUMER RECYCLING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish a program 
(referred to in this section as the ``grant program'') to award 
competitive grants to eligible entities to improve the effectiveness of 
residential and community recycling 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 community 
        recycling programs;
            (2) provide information about the recycled materials that 
        are accepted as part of a residential or community recycling 
        program that provides for the separate collection of 
        residential solid waste from recycled material; and
            (3) increase collection rates and decrease contamination 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;
                    (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, 
        including programs that accept different recycled materials, to 
        provide to the residents information regarding 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 Administrator shall treat 
                any business plans or financial data received under 
                subparagraph (A) as confidential information.
    (e) Eligible Activities.--An eligible entity that receives 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 campaign;
            (3) social media and digital outreach;
            (4) an advertising campaign on recycling awareness;
            (5) the development and dissemination of--
                    (A) a toolkit for a municipal and commercial 
                recycling program;
                    (B) information on the importance of quality in the 
                recycling stream;
                    (C) information on the economic and environmental 
                benefits of recycling; and
                    (D) information on what happens to materials after 
                the materials are placed into a residential or 
                community recycling program;
            (6) businesses recycling outreach;
            (7) bin, cart, and other receptacle labeling and signs; and
            (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 recycling 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 system that separately collects recycled 
        materials; or
            (2) promotes the establishment of, or conversion to, a 
        residential collection system that does not provide for the 
        separate collection of residential solid waste from recycled 
        material (as those terms are defined 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 organizations, and the private sector, shall develop 
        a model recycling program toolkit for States, Indian Tribes, 
        and units of local government that includes, at a minimum--
                    (A) a standardized set of terms and examples that 
                may be used to describe materials that are accepted by 
                a residential recycling program;
                    (B) information that the Administrator determines 
                can be widely applied across residential recycling 
                programs, taking into consideration the differences in 
                recycled materials accepted by residential recycling 
                programs;
                    (C) educational principles on best practices for 
                the collection and processing of recycled materials;
                    (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 materials 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, including 
                standardized measurements for recycling rates and 
                decreases in contamination.
            (2) Requirement.--In developing the standardized set of 
        terms and examples under paragraph (1)(A), the Administrator 
        may not establish any requirements 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, including nonprofit organizations, such 
as an organization the science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics program of which incorporates recycling, to promote the 
introduction 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 awarded to an eligible entity, the 
        eligible entity shall submit to the Administrator a report 
        describing, by using the guide developed under subsection 
        (g)(1)(G)--
                    (A) the change in volume of recycled material 
                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 Administrator 
                determines to be appropriate.
            (2) To congress.--The Administrator shall submit to 
        Congress an annual report describing--
                    (A) the effectiveness of residential recycling 
                programs awarded funds under the grant program, 
                including statistics comparing the quantity and quality 
                of recycled materials collected 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--
            (1) in subsection (e), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by striking ``and from time to time, revise'' and 
        inserting ``review not less frequently than once every 5 years, 
        and, if appropriate, revise, in consultation with recyclers and 
        manufacturers of products containing recycled content, not 
        later than 2 years after the completion of the initial review 
        after the date of enactment of the Recycling Enhancements to 
        Collection and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education 
        Act of 2021 and thereafter, as appropriate''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Consultation and Provision of Information by Administrator.--
The Administrator shall--
            ``(1) consult with each procuring agency, including 
        contractors of the procuring agency, to clarify the 
        responsibilities of the procuring agency under this section; 
        and
            ``(2) provide to each procuring agency information on the 
        requirements under this section and the responsibilities of the 
        procuring agency under this section.
    ``(k) Reports.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Administrator of General Services, shall submit to Congress an annual 
report describing--
            ``(1) the quantity of federally procured recycled products 
        listed in the guidelines under subsection (e); and
            ``(2) with respect to the products described in paragraph 
        (1), the percentage of recycled material in each product.''.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Administrator to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act 
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
    (b) Requirement.--Of the amount made available under subsection (a) 
for a fiscal year, not less than 10 percent shall be allocated to low-
income communities (as defined in section 45D(e) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986).
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