S 351: STEWARD Act of 2025

S 351 in plain English: The STEWARD Act of 2025 directs the EPA to establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling and composting access, particularly in underserved communities, and to collect national data on recycling and composting infrastructure. The bill authorizes $30,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2025–2029 for the grant program, and $4,000,000 per year for the same period for data collection activities.

Stated purpose

The STEWARD Act of 2025 aims to expand recycling and composting access across the United States by creating a pilot grant program for recycling infrastructure improvements and directing the EPA to collect, analyze, and share data on recycling and composting programs nationwide.

Key points

• Authorizes $30 million per year (2025–2029) for EPA grants to improve recycling accessibility in communities
• Individual grants range from $500,000 to $15,000,000; at least 70% set aside for specific recipients
• Authorizes $4 million per year (2025–2029) for EPA data collection on recycling and composting infrastructure
• Requires EPA to publish an inventory of U.S. recycling facilities within three years and every four years after
• Directs the GAO to publish a report on federal agency activities related to recycling

Arguments supporters make

• Many rural and low-income communities lack basic recycling access, and targeted federal grants can help close that gap where the private market alone has not.
• Standardized national data on recycling rates and infrastructure would give governments and communities the information they need to make smarter, more cost-effective decisions about waste.
• Using public-private partnerships can stretch federal dollars further and bring private-sector efficiency to building out recycling systems.

Arguments opponents make

• Creating another federal grant program and new EPA reporting mandates adds bureaucracy and spending without a guarantee that recycling rates will actually improve in meaningful ways.
• Recycling infrastructure is largely a local and state responsibility, and a federal pilot program may displace or distort local decision-making rather than support it.
• The bill leaves key details — such as total funding levels and exact grant criteria — to EPA discretion, making it hard to assess whether resources will reach the communities that need them most.

Tradeoffs

Expanding federal investment and data collection in recycling could improve access for underserved communities but comes at the cost of added federal spending and new compliance burdens on states and localities that must supply data; the program also prioritizes communities with the least existing infrastructure, which may mean communities with some but limited recycling access receive less help.

Current status in Congress: Passed Senate.

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