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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $2,258,355 Project Grant to the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) under the EPA's Reduce, Reuse, Recycling Education and Outreach (REO) Grants program (CFDA 66.921). The funds will be used for a comprehensive, evidence-based campaign to improve residential recycling across multiple jurisdictions in southeastern Virginia.

Key activities include conducting recycling audits, implementing a route-level recycling education program, developing web-based recycling tools, and producing educational and promotional materials. HRPDC will partner with the Recycling Partnership, a non-profit organization, to perform the recycling audits and cart tagging in at least six participating localities, including eight underserved communities. The project aims to increase waste prevention, boost recycling participation rates, and decrease contamination in the recycling stream. Anticipated deliverables include the results of the recycling audits, analysis of cart tagging data, and new educational resources. The award period runs from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2027.

EPA's consumer recycling education and outreach (REO) grant program will fund a range of projects that will increase waste prevention activities, increase the collection of recyclable materials and program participation rates, and decrease contamination of the recycling stream, fund projects that focus on commonly recycled materials such as municipal solid waste (e.g., plastics, aluminum, paper, glass, etc.), including food waste and organics, and/or fund projects and provide tools and technical assistance that will lead to long-term, sustained change, benefits, and support beyond the life of the grant. EPA's consumer recycling education and outreach (REO) grant program will fund a range of projects that will increase waste prevention activities; increase the collection of recyclable materials and program participation rates; decrease contamination of the recycling stream; fund projects that focus on commonly recycled materials such as municipal solid waste (e.g., plastics, aluminum, paper, glass, etc.), including food waste and organics; and/or fund projects and provide tools and technical assistance that will lead to long-term, sustained change, benefits, and support beyond the life of the grant. The purpose of this award is to enhance the hampton roads planning district commission (hrpdc) efforts to meet the REO grants elements. Specifically, the hampton roads planning district commission seeks to change the culture of recycling in southeastern virginia by utilizing the askhrgreen.ORG start smart, recycle right campaign to encourage residents across hampton roads to reduce waste and recycle properly. The campaign will take a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to improve the entire recycling process across multiple jurisdictions. Activities:the hrdpc's start smart, recycle right (ssrr) campaign will take a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to improve the entire recycling process across multiple jurisdictions. The activities to be performed include employing techniques such as: community engagement, research, targeted route-level recycling audits and education, direct mailings of cart stickers, development of web-based recycling tools, mass media advertising, public relations, and the development of educational and promotional materials. The proposal illustrates a meaningful investment in accomplishing objective 6.2 reduce waste and prevent environmental contamination as outlined in the EPA FY 2022-2026 strategic plan. Hrdpc's project will inform the public about residential recycling programs, provide information about accepted materials, increase collection rates, and decrease contamination rates.subrecipient:a subaward is going to the recycling partnership, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing a circular economy by building a better recycling system. Hrpdc will utilize the recycling partnership as a sub-awardee for implementation of a strategy of performing recycling audits, paired with a concentrated route-level recycling education campaign. The goal of this effort is to decrease recycling contamination while increasing recycling confidence among select residents. Using this verified effective method, hrpdc staff and local recycling staff will work with the recycling partnership to perform recycling audits and cart tagging of curbside recycling routes in at least six participating localities (including at least eight underserved communities).outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include results of recycling audits, compilation and analysis of the results of cart tagging, and the new educational and promotional materials. Outputs from hrdpc's start smart, recycle right (ssrr) project will include results of the pre and post project benchmarking surveys; in-depth recycling behavior analysis for focus groups in select neighborhoods including underserved communities (the SU