EPA's solid waste infrastructure for recycling (swifr) grants for states and territories will fund activities that support long-term planning and data collection needs to demonstrate progress toward…

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been awarded a Cooperative Agreement for $632,629 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grant Program (CFDA 66.920). The purpose of this award is to enhance Montana DEQ's efforts to advance a circular economy for materials and support the state-led implementation of plans to improve post-consumer materials management.

The key activities under this award include: 1) Determining the community service areas in the state to tailor integrated waste management plans to rural community needs, 2) Working with stakeholders to audit the local waste stream to understand current recycling and composting activities, 3) Developing a template for integrated solid waste management plans for different regions of Montana, and 4) Exploring options to collect and store recycling data for businesses and communities to measure environmental impacts. This work is intended to help Montana DEQ and local communities advance towards the national recycling and food loss and waste reduction goals.

EPA's solid waste infrastructure for recycling (swifr) grants for states and territories will fund activities that support long-term planning and data collection needs to demonstrate progress toward the national recycling goal and food loss and waste reduction goal and advance a circular economy for materials, as well as support the state-led implementation of plans to advance post-consumer materials management. The purpose of this award is to enhance the state of montana department of environmental quality's efforts to meet the swifr grants elements. The state of montana department of environmental quality will support design of an integrated waste management plan to tailor rural community needs to help address cost saving measures. In addition, the analytical and reporting tools montana DEQ will develop can provide communities and private businesses and montana DEQ with the means to measure tons diverted from landfills, understand how materials flow through montana, and calculate achieved environmental savings.activities:the activities include: goal 1: determine the community service areas in the state objectives: - determine the number of regions in montana to establish for the project. - conduct a survey or work directly with local citizens, businesses, and commissioners to find stakeholders to prepare and gather community information about waste collection, storage, transfer, and disposal options. - develop a profile of the service area. Goal 2: work with stakeholders to audit the local waste stream. Objectives: - define the waste generated, recycled, and composted within the planning area. This will establish a foundation for any projections, while providing a snapshot of current conditions. Goal 3: draft a template integrated solid waste management plan for the determined regions of montana. Objectives: - develop a template for an integrated waste management plan. A local plan will address the economic conditions and resources unique to each community. These plans will be tailored to each specific region. Goal 4: explore options to collect and store recycling data in the future. Objectives: - provide a web-based service to rural and disadvantaged communities and private businesses to maximize the reuse or recycling of materials otherwise destined for land disposal. This analytical reporting tool will provide businesses, communities, and montana DEQ with the means to measure tons diverted from landfills, understand how materials flow through montana, and calculate achieved environmental savings.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables and outcomes include: goal 1: - produce a service area map. Include disadvantaged communities. - determine number of plans to develop based on service areas. Include information on population, number of households, types of business, and estimated growth rate of the community or tribe. Identify transportation routes, distance to landfills and other disposal sites, and infrastructure needs. This information will help when developing cost estimates for waste management activities. Determine potential number of temporary or permanent jobs created. - develop agendas for each meeting. - hire a moderator. - hold meetings in each service area. - gather information needed to develop the integrated waste management plans goal 2: - define the waste generators within the planning areas. - examine all residential, commercial, and waste-related generators in the planning area. Identify existing regional programs or infrastructures that the planning can use. - determine responsible parties for the cost to handle cleanup of illegal dumpsites. - gather information on amounts of solid waste generated, recycled, and composted. Determine where waste is going and how IT is being handled. Determine what percentage of waste can be prevented, reused, reduced, or recycled. - provide i