2715_Emergency ICR Memo_01

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460

March 4, 2022
OFFICE OF
LAND AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT

MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Collection of Information in Response to Congressional Data Request (OMB Control
Number 2050-NEW; EPA ICR Number XXXX)
Digitally signed by
CAROLYN HOSKINSON
Date: 2022.03.04
11:40:53 -05'00'

FROM:

Carolyn Hoskinson, Director
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
Office of Land and Emergency Management

THRU:

Courtney Kerwin, Director
Regulatory Support Division
Office of Mission Support

TO:

OMB Desk Officer for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget

Pursuant to section 3507(j) of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), as
implemented in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR §1320.13, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hereby requesting emergency processing of an information
collection necessary to respond in a timely manner to direction in the fiscal year 2021 Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill and associated reports.
The specific language in the bill report directs the Agency to “begin a comprehensive data collection
effort to strengthen residential recycling and accelerate the move towards a circular economy The bill
specifies that the data collected should include: the number of community curbside recycling
programs; the number of community drop-off programs; the total amount of residential packaging
materials collected through deposit programs; the total amount of residential materials collected
through curbside programs annually; the types of materials accepted by each program; the number of
citizens with access to recycling services on par with access to disposal; and the inbound
contamination and capture rates of community recycling programs. Furthermore, the bill directs the
Agency to collect data on single use plastics, including the types of single-use plastics currently in
commerce, the recyclability of these plastics types, and the rates at which these plastics are currently
recycled by plastic type and by region. Additionally, the Agency should collect data on aluminum,
including the rates at which aluminum cans are recycled. Further, the Agency should develop
estimates of the infrastructure investment required to modernize the Material Recovery infrastructure
to achieve consistent collection across the nation and maximize the efficient delivery of materials to
the circular economy. The Agency should also develop estimates for the amounts of investment
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needed to provide all citizens with access to recycling services on par with access to disposal. The
updated strategy with recommendations should be reported to the Committee within 270 days of
enactment of this Act”. (pg 95-96).
Information Collection Activities Involved in this Emergency Request
Under this clearance, EPA proposes conducting a screening survey at the state level to collect best
available estimates of measures and data elements identified in the bill report. Given the scope and
complexity of the request, the survey is intended to develop initial information that may be used to
efficiently characterize the residential recycling landscape nationally and inform more specific and
targeted data collection that may be conducted under a subsequent full information collection
request.
The specific parameters of the proposed collection are:
•
•
•
•

Utilize existing EPA and partner/stakeholder information to identify points of contact
in each state;
Provide an initial email with follow-up phone contacts to convey survey purpose,
encourage participation, and identify most appropriate respondents;
Administer the questionnaire on-line with an estimated 30-minute completion time;
and
Provide an option to complete questionnaire over the phone using parallel script.

The questionnaire and implementation approach were designed to minimize anticipated burden and
reflect consultation with relevant parties, including state and organizational representatives from the
Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) and the
Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEMOA).
Burden
The burden for the number of respondents is based on contacting representatives for each of the 50
states and the District of Columbia (DC). It is anticipated state representatives will spend an average
of 30 minutes, but not to exceed one hour answering the survey questions. The burden of time is
therefore at a minimum of 25.5 hours (calculated at 51 states and DC spending 30 minutes per
survey). The burden is not expected to exceed 50.5 hours (calculated at 51 states and DC spending
one hour per survey). EPA does not anticipate any capital or operations and maintenance costs.

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