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EPA extended the deadline for comments on the Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution to July 31, 2023.
Submit your comments through the docket by clicking here.
The Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution can be found here.
The EPA developed the Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution to reduce plastic waste and other post-consumer materials in waterways and oceans, as directed by Congress in section 301 of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act. This extension provides the public with an additional opportunity to share information and provide feedback on the draft strategy, which identifies actions where EPA can work collaboratively with interested parties to prevent plastic pollution and reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic and other waste from land-based sources. EPA is seeking public comment from a broad array of organizations engaged in post-consumer materials management and infrastructure including state, tribal, territorial, and local governments; industry; researchers; academia; non-profit organizations; community groups; and international organizations. Public comments will inform the Agency's efforts to finalize the strategy and continue work with organizations to implement the actions.
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EPA is hosting and recording a series of three webinars for assistance agreement (grant) applicants and recipients. During each live webinar, EPA staff will review key aspects of EPA’s grants processes and requirements, and attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions. To attend, you must register in advance for each webinar using the links provided below. You can also access recordings of these webinars on our website. Click on the title to register for that specific one!
Procurement, Subawards, and Participant Support Costs
Tuesday, June 27: 1:30-2:30pm ET
Register here!
This training will cover procurement regulations and requirements. Specific topics include:
- Best practices for contracts, consultants, equipment, and supply purchases.
- Review of subawards (grant awards provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient).
- Participant support costs (payments to individuals who participate in grant activities but are not employees of the grant recipient).
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Competition Process (Recorded)
This webinar is intended to help grant applicants learn how to find and successfully apply for competitive EPA grants. EPA will also provide an overview of the competition process from application through evaluation and selection.
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Training for EPA Pass-Through Grant Applicants, Recipients, and Subrecipients (Recorded)
This training is intended for EPA grant applicants and recipients that plan to use EPA funding to provide grants to other entities through “subawards.” This type of EPA grant recipient is considered a pass-through entity because the goal of the grant is to further award EPA funds. This training will focus on:
- Oversight responsibilities of EPA pass-through entities.
- Federal regulations that govern pass-through entities and the recipients of subawards (subrecipients).
- EPA’s specific requirements for subrecipients.
EPA pass-through entities are encouraged to share this training information with their subrecipients.
Please visit and bookmark the EPA Grants Webinars page where you will find tips for preparing for EPA webinars, presentation materials, helpful resources, and webinar recordings.
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EPA is pleased to present a toolkit to encourage residents in communities to compost their unavoidable food scraps. This toolkit is a resource for states, territories, local governments, tribes, and nongovernmental organizations who wish to create composting campaigns in their communities. It can be used by agencies and organizations that want to (1) launch new food scrap composting programs, (2) increase participation in existing food scrap composting programs, or (3) reduce contamination in their compost collection streams. The toolkit is accompanied by composting campaign materials created by municipalities and organizations that are available for use and customization by any communities.
Special thanks to the following community partners who are allowing their materials to be shared and customized: King County Solid Waste Division, Washington; Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation; City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (Oregon); and Metro Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada.
To access the toolkit and download customizable collateral, click here.
Last month, EPA released a wasted food prevention toolkit, structured similarly to the composting toolkit. You may access the “Preventing Wasted Food in Your Community: A Social Marketing Toolkit” and download the customizable collateral here.
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ReFED is hosting a webinar presented by the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment to introduce a first-of-its-kind dataset tracking year-over-year progress in the fight against food waste at retail. Aligned with international reporting standards, new data are being used as the primary retail data source in ReFED’s 2023 update to the Insights Engine. Learn from PCFWC partners and signatories about what the data reveal – and how they’re being used to advance waste reduction efforts.
The webinar will take place on June 29 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET. You can register here.
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The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems Request for Applications focuses on approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach. Their vision is for projects to significantly improve the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products, while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America. These approaches must demonstrate current needs and anticipate future social, cultural, behavioral, economic, health, and environmental impacts. Additionally, the outcomes of the work being proposed should result in societal benefits, including promotion of rural prosperity and enhancement of quality of life for all those involved in food and agricultural value chains from production to use and consumption.
Applications are due July 13, 2023.
Learn about this grant program and how to apply.
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 This opportunity focuses on the development of municipal recycling and composting/anaerobic digestion programs.
EPA Region 3 announced the availability of $150,000 in grant funding for Sustainable Materials Management projects that will improve local post-consumer materials management systems in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Applications must seek to improve the ability of communities to make progress towards the National Recycling Goal or the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal and directly benefit at least one of the EPA Region 3 States (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia) or one of the seven federally recognized Tribes in the (Chickahominy Indian Tribe, Chickahominy Indians Eastern Division, Monacan Indian Nation, Nansemond Indian Nation, Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Rappahannock Tribe, and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe).
Eligible entities include state, local, tribal, interstate, and intrastate government agencies and instrumentalities, as well as nonprofit organizations that are not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby, including non-profit educational institutions and non-profit hospitals.
Applications are due July 14, 2023.
Learn about this funding opportunity and how to apply.
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RCPP projects may include a range of on-the-ground conservation activities implemented by farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. These activities include:
- Land management/land improvement/restoration practices
- Land rentals
- Entity-held easements
- United States-held easements
- Public works/watersheds
Applications are due August 17, 2023.
Learn about this funding opportunity and how to apply.
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These grants cover a wide variety of topics and eligible entities. Total anticipated funding for FY2024 is $300 million. The 2023 RFA for AFRI’s Foundational and Applied Science Program identifies the following priority program areas, some of which include food waste reduction as a sub-topic and/or eligible initiative:
- Plant health and production and plant products;
- Animal health and production and animal products;
- Food safety, nutrition, and health;
- Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment;
- Agriculture systems and technology; and
- Agriculture economics and rural communities.
Check out 2023 RFA for Foundational and Applied Science Program.
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Specific grants relating to Food Loss and Waste are listed below:
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Center for Research, Behavioral Economics, and Extension on Food Loss and Waste
Application Deadline: September 14, 2023
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture invites proposals for a competitive grant to fund a Center for Research, Behavioral Economics, and Extension on Food Loss & Waste. This Center will use a systems approach in conducting research and Extension outreach on policies and programs relevant to addressing inefficiencies in the food system and food related practices. The Center must examine or support research and Extension efforts that address two or more FLW issues. Additionally, the Center must address the following:
- Develop a National Extension FLW Strategy that identifies specific action steps and intervention recommendations by interested organizations to cut FLW in half by 2030.
- Engage with Minority Serving Institutions and/or historically underserved communities.
- Develop and apply culturally and contextually appropriate approaches in research, programs, and activities.
- Identify strategic approaches with the private sector, among other interested parties, including youth voice.
Maximum funding: $1.5M
Learn about this opportunity and how to apply.
This program is listed on page 111 of the RFA.
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Bioeconomy, Biorefining, and Biomanufacturing
Application Deadline: October 5, 2023
This program supports the creation of a biorefinery. A biorefinery is a system that integrates biomass conversion, processes, and equipment to manufacture biofuels, chemicals, and bioproducts. This program area priority focuses on converting, treating, processing, refining, or manufacturing products to use plant, animal, and woody biomass. It can include projects that take food waste and mixed waste to serve as a feedstock. Research beyond composting and biogas generation is prioritized.
Maximum funding: $650,000
Learn about this opportunity and how to apply.
This program is listed on page 69 of the RFA.
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Economics, Markets and Trade
Application Deadline: October 5, 2023
This program supports research on development of theories, methods, and applications of agricultural economics. It may include work on economic and behavioral aspects of consumption or savings behavior, consumer financial decision making; agricultural production and technology adoption, and the design and implementation of policy intended to affect those behaviors. It may also examine the causes and consequences of food and nutritional insecurity, among other areas.
Maximum funding: $650,000
Learn about this opportunity and how to apply.
This program is listed on page 79 of the RFA.
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On June 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $125 million Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection funding opportunity authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to grow and secure America’s battery supply chain. Projects funded through this opportunity will:
- Develop and implement education and/or behavior change campaigns to increase participation by consumers in existing battery recycling programs.
- Improve the economics of recycling consumer electronics batteries to spur greater market demand for battery recycling.
- Assist states and local governments in establishing or enhancing battery collection, recycling, and reprocessing programs.
- Help retailers implement programs to collect, sort, store, and transport consumer electronics batteries.
Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, for-profit entities, state and local governmental entities, and Tribal Nations. Learn about this funding opportunity here. Concept papers are due August 17, 2023, and the deadline for full applications is November 29, 2023.
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By subscribing to the newsletter, you will receive periodic announcements about resources, events, webinars, funding opportunities, and more from EPA and our partners. Topics include circular economy, reduce/reuse/recycle, food loss and waste, electronics, plastics, municipal solid waste, and the built environment.
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