U.S. taxpayers will be on the hook for $30 million in new cooperative grant funding to reduce plastic pollution in India, according to a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) posted by the United States Agency for International Development MIssion in India.
"The purpose of the activity is to reduce plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, through improvements in solid waste management and advancing a plastics circular economy in selected regions of India," according to the posted synopsis for the program, Innovations for Reducing Plastics for a Cleaner Environment in India (inREPLACE).
Under the terms of the grant's cooperative agreement the winning applicant will be responsible for raising $15 million, or 50% of the $30 million award amount from outside sources.
USAID/India will be partnering with India's government to address the issue of plastic pollution by "improving plastic and solid waste management planning, infrastructure, and services" and "addressing the life cycle impacts of plastics and other materials by promoting a circular economy," according to the project's thumbnail description.