On June 09, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published three (3) notices in the Federal Register (FR) requesting information and comments on its Recycling Programs. The first FR notice (87 FR 35200), the EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) is asking the public to comment on and to share information concerning the development of the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program, which will fund improvements to local post-consumer materials management including municipal recycling programs and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems. OLEM is seeking information from a broad array of stakeholders about needed improvements to solid waste management systems (e.g., waste reduction, collection, sorting, processing, and end-markets for reuse and recycling), including but not limited to industry, researchers, academia, state, tribal, and local governments including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, other federal agencies, community groups, non-governmental organizations, the public, and international organizations. Comments and information must be received on or before July 25, 2022. The second FR notice (87 FR 35202), the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) within the EPA requests information on the end-of-life management of batteries, including information on their generation, collection, recycling, reuse, as well as the current labeling standards and requirements for batteries regarding their end-of-life. EPA is interested in both single-use batteries, also known as primary batteries, and rechargeable batteries, also known as secondary batteries. This includes lithium based, nickel-metal hydride, and other battery chemistries, as well as all battery types, such as small consumer batteries, large format batteries (including electric vehicles and grid energy storage), and industrial batteries used in manufacturing, commercial businesses, and healthcare operations. ORCR is also seeking information about how consumers, businesses, entities in the vehicle management chain (dealerships, repair shops, auction houses, dismantlers, entities that repurpose electric vehicle batteries, refurbishers, and scrap yards), and others are educated on how to manage batteries at the end-of-life. Information from a wide range of stakeholders involved in the battery lifecycle from its manufacture to its end-of-life management, including but not limited to industry stakeholders, researchers, academia, state, tribal, and local governments including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, other federal agencies, community groups, non-governmental organizations, the public, and international organizations. Written comments and information must be received on or before July 11, 2022. EPA will also hold feedback sessions with an opportunity to provide live, verbal feedback. The dates and times for those feedback sessions will be posted on: https://www.epa.gov/rcra/feedback-sessions-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-solid-waste-and-recycling-programs. To stay connected about these feedback sessions subscribe to: https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/forms/stay-connected. The third FR notice (87 FR 35197), the EPA’s ORCR is also seeking information about effective strategies to reach consumers and encourage them to engage in activities that reduce the generation of waste, improve effective recycling, and reduce contamination in the recycling stream. Information from a wide range of stakeholders involved in the recycling system is encouraged, including but not limited to industry, researchers, academia, state, tribal, and local governments including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, other federal agencies, community groups, non-governmental organizations, the public and international organizations. Written comments and information must be received on or before July 25, 2022.

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EPA 06-09-2022 request info Recycling Programs

EPA 06-09-2022 request info Battery Recycling Labeling

EPA 06-09-2022 request info Recycling Outreach Tools