U.S. EPA Mid-Atlantic Region and City of Baltimore celebrate America Recycles Day and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Baltimore, MD - U.S. EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Adam Ortiz and the City of Baltimore celebrated two milestones – America Recycles Day and the anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – by visiting the site of a future composting facility in Baltimore that was selected for a $4 million Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant. Once constructed, the facility will accept food scraps and other organic material to be turned into compost in the solar powered facility.
“Recycling is a key component to reducing waste in communities but not everyone realizes the related benefits that recycling has,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Adam Ortiz. “This facility, which was selected for a grant under the BIL’s SWIFR program, will recycle food scraps into usable compost material. It will also prevent that food waste from going to incinerators in South Baltimore which will improve the air quality of the communities nearby. Altogether, it is a sterling example of the positive impact that BIL is having across the country.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided our city with incredible investments, which my newly created Mayor’s Office of Infrastructure Development is putting to use to overcome the decades of disinvestment that far too many of our communities have faced for decades,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Today, on American Recycles Day and two years since this bill became law, we’re thrilled to welcome the EPA and so many partners to our city to highlight one of the projects this law is funding to help shape the future of Baltimore. As the first composting facility of its kind in our City, this project will help our commitment to reducing our waste and modernizing the way we handle it in order to make our city healthier and more sustainable for generations to come.”
“The Environmental Protection Agency’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant will support the creation of a first-of-its-kind solar-powered composting facility, which will divert 12,000 tons of waste annually from the City’s waste stream. This will be an important advancement toward zero waste for the City of Baltimore. I want to thank the EPA for their support in this process, and look forward to continuing our collaboration and partnership on this project,” said Baltimore City Department of Public Works Interim Director Richard Luna.
President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda 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 SWIFR 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 $59 million out of the $73 million – or 81% - of the total funding for communities will go toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.