The Strategies To Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development Act of 2025, or the STEWARD Act of 2025 , establishes a pilot grant program called the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program . This program, to be administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will award competitive grants to eligible entities such as States, local governments, Indian Tribes, and public-private partnerships. Its primary goal is to significantly improve access to recycling systems through infrastructure investments in underserved communities , utilizing a hub-and-spoke model. When selecting grant recipients, the EPA will consider factors like existing curbside recycling, the project's impact on underserved communities, and the financial health of private partners in public-private partnerships. Priority will be given to projects in communities with limited materials recovery facilities within a 75-mile radius. Grant funds can be used to increase transfer stations, expand curbside recycling, and leverage public-private partnerships to reduce collection and transport costs, with individual grants ranging from $500,000 to $15,000,000 and a 70 percent set-aside for underserved communities. The bill also significantly expands the EPA's role in data collection and reporting on recycling and composting. It requires the EPA to report on composting and recycling infrastructure capabilities, including evaluating existing laws and estimating expansion costs. Furthermore, the EPA must prepare an inventory of materials recovery facilities every four years, detailing the types of materials they can process. The EPA is mandated to collaborate with States, local governments, and Indian Tribes to estimate the number and types of recycling and composting programs, assess access rates and barriers, and analyze contamination rates and program costs. It will also update a report on end-market sales of recyclable materials and prepare a new report on end-market sales of compost. These efforts aim to provide a clearer picture of the national recycling landscape. Additionally, the Comptroller General will report biannually on Federal agency recycling and composting rates and their procurement of recycled and compostable products. The EPA will also develop a metric and conduct a study on the diversion of recyclable materials from a circular market, with $4,000,000 authorized annually for these data collection activities from fiscal years 2025 through 2029. The bill ensures that no unfunded mandates are imposed on States, local governments, or Indian Tribes and protects confidential information.