EPA awards $4M to Iowa City to expand compost facility

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Iowa City, Iowa, with a $4 million Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant.

The city will use the funds to expand its existing compost facility by building on current programs and increasing processing capacity from 15,000 tons 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, the organization says. Customers include Johnson County and the towns of Kalona and Riverside in Iowa.

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“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,” says Meg McCollister, EPA Region 7 administrator. “We applaud Iowa City for their efforts to expand their existing facility and reduce waste through their continued commitment to composting services.”

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants are part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which aims to drive $470 billion to private-sector manufacturing and clean energy investments.

“The city of Iowa City is honored to receive this significant infrastructure award from the Investing in America program,” City Manager Geoff Fruin says. “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.”

EPA says the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program is also advancing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent 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 of the total funding for communities will go toward projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.