EPA Region 7 Presents $4M Check to City of Iowa City, After Selection for Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant
LENEXA, KAN. (NOV. 8, 2023) – Today, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented a $4 million ceremonial check to the City of Iowa City, Iowa, which EPA selected for a Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant.
McCollister was joined by Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague and Iowa City Director of Public Works Ron Knoche.
Iowa City will use the funds to expand its existing compost facility by building on current programs and increasing processing capacity from 15,000 to 20,000 tons per year. This expansion will increase landfill diversion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and allow more residents within the service area to use composting services. Customers include Johnson County and the towns of Kalona and Riverside in Iowa.
“Reducing the amount of waste in our communities is one of the most important steps we can take to provide a cleaner environment throughout our region, McCollister said. “We applaud Iowa City for their efforts to expand their existing facility and reduce waste through their continued commitment to composting services.”
“The City of Iowa City is honored to receive this significant infrastructure award from the Investing in America program,” said City Manager Geoff Fruin. “These funds will enable us to expand and modernize our existing compost facility to better meet the future needs of our growing community. This grant award clearly demonstrates our shared commitment with the federal government toward waste reduction and climate action in ways that add value to the public.”
Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda that is growing the American economy from the bottom-up and middle out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure to driving over $470 billion in private-sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant program is also advancing President's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Approximately $56 million out of the $73 million (or 76%) of the total funding for communities will go toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.
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