This action approves an award in the amount of $612,441 to north carolina department of environmental quality (ncdeq)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $612,441 Cooperative Agreement to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) under the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grant Program (CFDA 66.920). The funding will support NCDEQ's efforts to enhance post-consumer materials management in North Carolina. Key activities include conducting a statewide materials management optimization study, advancing statewide materials management campaigns, and providing grants to local governments and state agencies to improve post-consumer materials management. NCDEQ will release the funding through a competitive Request for Proposals process, with all subawards required to align with the SWIFR grant program's eligible projects and allowable costs. The anticipated outcomes include increased recycling rates and improved understanding of the state's waste streams, benefiting North Carolina residents. The project period is from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2026.

This agreement provides funding from the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA). 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 ncdeq efforts to meet the swifr grants elements.activities:the activities include enhancing north carolina's efforts to meet the swifr grants elements. North carolina will conduct a statewide materials management optimization study, advance north carolina's statewide materials management campaigns, and provide grant funding to local governments and state agencies to improve post-consumer materials management.subrecipient:ncdeq will release the available funding through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) and ensure that all activities selected for funding fall within the scope of task 3 (from the workplan): support the state-led implementation of plans to advance post-consumer materials management. Awarded grantees can utilize the ncdeq customizable outreach materials, develop their own materials in consultation with ncdeq, and/or develop a media campaign to improve program participation, increase recovery, reduce contamination, and enhance confidence in recycling through consistent and unified messaging and graphics. All subawards will be conducted in accordance with the EPA subaward policy and will be limited to projects that qualify as eligible projects and allowable costs under the swifr grant program.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include reports and changed behaviors. The expected outcomes include increased recycling rate and understanding of waste streams in the state. The intended beneficiaries include north carolina residents.