WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, introduced new legislation on Friday to create a new federal grant program through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which they said would to help educate households and consumers about their residential and community recycling programs.

Portman’s office said the bipartisan the RECYCLE Act will help increase recycling rates and reduce contamination in the recycling stream.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Todd Young, R-Indiana, are original cosponsors of this legislation.

“Education and outreach is a key pillar to improving recycling rates and reducing contamination in our recycling stream,” Portman said in a news release. “Education is a key component in both increasing the amount of material that is being recycled and ensuring that the material being put into community and residential recycling programs is actually being recycled.”

Portman’s office said the RECYCLE Act would authorize $15 million a year over five years in grants to educate and inform consumers and households and would direct the EPA to develop a model recycling program toolkit for governments and organizations to deploy in order to improve recycling rates and decrease contamination in the recycling stream.

They said it would also call on the EPA to more frequently review and revise its guidelines which designate products containing recycled materials and provides recommended practices for federal agencies to purchase such products.