This agreement provides funding from the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) to mesa grande band of mission indians

This $173,750 Cooperative Agreement, awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grant Program (CFDA 66.920), will fund the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians to procure and install infrastructure to implement an integrated waste management plan. Key activities include purchasing equipment and a solar power system, hiring an environmental trainee, establishing dedicated areas for reusable materials and household hazardous waste, and promoting food waste composting and source reduction through education and outreach. The intended outcomes are to increase recycling rates, generate revenue from selling recyclables, produce more compost, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thereby improving environmental and community health for the tribe's members.

EPA's solid waste infrastructure for recycling (swifr) grants for tribes and intertribal consortia will fund projects that focus on encouraging environmentally sound post-consumer materials management, fund projects that will result in a decrease in the generation of municipal solid waste and/or an increase in the diversion of municipal solid waste from landfills and incineration; and/or fund projects that provide or expand access to source reduction, reuse, recycling, backhaul, anaerobic digestion, and composting for tribes and tribal members of intertribal consortia. The purpose of this award is to enhance the efforts to meet the swifr grants elements. Specifically, the grantee will procure, and use needed infrastructure to allow the tribe to implement its integrated waste management plan. Project goals and objectives are to improve collection and materials management infrastructure, reduce contamination in the waste and recycle streams, improve markets for recyclables, increase the reuse of used and discarded materials, generate data on materials recycled and reused, and generate program income to support program sustainability. This cooperative agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $173,750.00. Activities:the grantee will carryout the following activities: procure equipment and install a solar power system; hire a part-time environmental trainee to assist staff with sorting, storage and transport of recyclable materials; establish dedicated areas for the management of reusable materials and household hazardous waste; promote food waste composting and source reduction through education and outreach initiatives; collect data on all waste collected, stored, managed and transported to inform waste management systems and to evaluate progress towards meeting stated goals; and develop markets for recycled and reused materials by working with recycled-content product manufacturers. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:anticipated deliverables include summary reports documenting equipment purchased and installed; educational flyers and materials developed; data logs including household participation rates, weights or volume of all waste collected, sorted, managed, and transported, and income generated from recycled material; a quality assurance project plan (qapp) and quarterly and annual reports documenting all progress. Intended outcomes include increased awareness and participation in solid waste management program; increased collection and sorting of recyclable materials, increased revenue generated from selling recyclables, an increase in the production of compost by managing green waste and a decrease in the production of greenhouse gases; and a cleaner environmental and healthier population. The intended beneficiaries include members of mesa grande band of mission indians and the environment.