NEW ORLEANS – The City of New Orleans’ request for a no-cost extension from the EPA for its Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant has been denied. City leaders aimed to better support efforts by shifting the focus of the funding toward education, outreach, and long-term planning instead of a massive cart deployment throughout New Orleans. Additionally, residents can already request a free recycling cart by calling 311.
“We are disappointed that the EPA has decided to deny our reasonable request to extend the SWIFR grant,” said Mayor Helena Moreno. “The City timely submitted a request for extension in order to execute on a solid waste master plan and increase education around recycling presented in the grant. Unfortunately, the EPA did not provide the City enough flexibility to continue to pursue this initiative. We will nonetheless continue to work on strategies to reduce waste and build a cleaner, more environmentally friendly New Orleans.”
The original proposal, submitted under the previous administration, allocated over $5.4 million for this phase, including:
- $4,565,000 for 83,000 residential recycling carts
- $468,000 for education and outreach tied to cart rollout
- $350,000 for a solid waste master plan
- $49,609 for City staff support
Before this, city leaders raised concerns that funding heavily prioritized cart distribution with comparatively limited investment in education and long-term system planning, which are critical to sustainability and, without it, would jeopardize success.