Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
Funding Made Available through Portman’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
November 18, 2022 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will distribute $30 million in grants for recycling education and outreach projects across the country, which was established by Senator Portman’s bipartisan RECYCLE Act. The funding announced today was in part thanks to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which included the RECYCLE ACT, and which Portman helped craft. Portman issued the following statement:
“I am pleased that the important provisions to improve recycling rates and reducing contamination in our recycling stream are finally going into effect thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law,” said Senator Portman. “Education is a key way to increasing our nation’s low recycling rates, which are just above thirty percent. Increasing recycling rates and educating consumers about good recycling practices will help make our environment cleaner and our recycling infrastructure last longer.”
Reports indicate consumer confusion on how to properly recycle is one of the top recycling challenges. Through education and outreach, the RECYCLE Act aims to help increase recycling rates and reduce contamination in the recycling stream. According to the EPA, the recycling rate in the U.S. is 32.1 percent, which presents an opportunity to improve our nation’s recycling systems. Recycling offers numerous benefits, including diverting materials from landfills, using less energy to reprocess recycled material, which reduces emissions, and supporting the economy. EPA’s 2020 Recycling Economic Information (REI) Report found that recycling supports more than 681,000 jobs and generates $5.5 billion annually in tax revenues.
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