This agreement provides funding from the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA)

This $551,877 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 is funded through the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program (CFDA 66.920). The purpose is to enhance the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection's (NDEP) efforts to advance a circular economy for materials and support state-led implementation of plans to improve post-consumer materials management.

The key products and services to be delivered include:

• Completing a feasibility study on implementing a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure to serve rural and disadvantaged communities in Nevada
• Conducting an economic impact and viability study on composting facilities in the state
• Developing a comprehensive training program for NDEP personnel to provide essential recycling and composting education to rural areas
• Creating a roadmap to identify actionable steps towards a circular economy for Nevada based on waste characterization data and stakeholder feedback

This assistance agreement provides full federal funding for these activities, which are expected to be completed by September 30, 2026.

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 nevada division of environmental protection (ndep) efforts to meet the swifr grants elements. Ndep will complete a hub and spoke feasibility study, complete an economic impact and viability study on composting facilities, complete a roadmap to a circular economy plan, create a rural training program for recycling and composting, and train ndep staff and volunteers. The objective of this project is to provide nevada with a baseline of knowledge for programs that currently do not exist in the state or are limited in their capacity. This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $551,877.activities:the activities to be performed are development of hub and spoke feasibility study, economic impact study for composting, rural training program, internal ndep training and roadmap to a circular economy. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables and expected outcomes include a hub and spoke feasibility study to develop practical action items towards implementing a hub and spoke model that will meet the needs of the state's rural and disadvantaged communities. Other deliverables and outcomes include a composting impact and analysis study to enhance knowledge regarding composting practices within the state while assessing the financial impact that voluntary and mandated large-scale composting programs can have on municipalities and state agencies. Additionally, ndep will develop a comprehensive training program designed specifically for ndep personnel, enabling them to provide essential training to rural communities. The training program will focus on topics such as sustainable materials management (SMM), equipping ndep personnel with the knowledge and skills needed to help rural areas incorporate best practices tailored to their available resources. Lastly, ndep will create a roadmap to a circular economy to identify action items towards a circular economy based on materials identified in a waste characterization study, to be performed by ndep, and from feedback from the PSN stakeholders on what barriers and opportunities exist to shifting towards a more circular economy and what materials are lacking management. The intended beneficiaries include all counties within nevada, focusing on the state's rural areas that do not have recycling services.