Latest News

3/14/24

Some people see signs of spring in the return of robins or the tubing and buckets gathering rising maple sap. Others, like us at NRRA, look for the telltale signs that pop up on roads across New Hampshire as the weather warms: Load Limits!

But did you know, if your facility is on a road that has a spring road ban - imposed weight limitations to reduce wear and tear on roadways as the ground begins to thaw - you will need to have an exemption letter for waste haulers.

If a truck driver sees that a road is posted, they will not be able to service your location until it is unposted unless they have an exemption letter.

If you manage your recycling through NRRA, including things like tires or C&D, you can send your exemption letter(s) to NRRA and we will share it when...Read more

3/14/24

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) recently submitted New Hampshire's Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) to the EPA. NRRA was glad to see that solid waste considerations were included - specifically related to food waste, asphalt, and concrete - topics NRRA is currently focused on with grant-supported projects through the USDA and EPA.

From the PCAP :

The New Hampshire Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) was developed by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) utilizing a planning grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The goal of the PCAP is to create a pathway that will support investment in policies, practices, and technologies that reduce pollutant emissions, create high-quality jobs, spur economic growth, and enhance the quality of life for all Granite Staters. The PCAP includes the following: a summary of New Hampshire’s past...Read more

2/26/24

The NRRA Member Services department is made up of our Member Services Manager, Brian Patnoe, and Senior Member Services Representative, Bonnie Bethune. Together, they have over 60+ years of recycling and solid waste management experience to pull from! Their department provides cooperative marketing and purchasing assistance, along with ongoing technical assistance to member communities through email, phone, and in-person site visits. They also put together member-only market updates, and answer common member inquiries such as recycling trends, proper processing techniques, and market specifications.

Recently, Brian visited with Recycling Coordinator, Eugene Lamoureux, at the Springfield, VT Transfer Station.

Springfield is an NRRA member town of just over 9,000 residents. NRRA helps them recycle several commodities including cardboard, mixed paper, plastics, steel cans, scrap metal, and tires.

Recycling these materials uses much less energy than making products from virgin resources, and using less energy...Read more

2/26/24

NRRA hosted a meeting of the Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG) at our office last week in the newly refreshed Member Operations & Marketing meeting room. We had 17 people attend in person, including several members of the public, with others joining remotely online. NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, had the opportunity to welcome the group to our office, introduce NRRA, and share some resources for municipalities available on the NRRA website. While the group previously learned about the NRRA Recycling 101 presentation , customizable recycling pamphlets (FREE to NRRA Members) , and Recycle Right materials , seeing them on the NRRA website generated more interest and led one committee member to compliment the resources and ask how they can be shared more broadly with NH communities.

The meeting included a presentation by Rob Watson of ...Read more

2/21/24

For over forty years, NRRA’s Recycling Conference & Expo has been a premier conference focused exclusively on municipal recycling and waste reduction in the Northeast. Hundreds of attendees, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors gather over two days to discuss the tools and skills necessary to build thriving municipal recycling and waste reduction programs in your community.

"Early Bird" registration for the 2024 Annual Recycling Conference is open and encouraged to ensure a spot during the following breakfast plenary panel discussions:

Food Waste Diversion & Composting

Join Jen Heaton-Jones, Executive Director of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Association (HRRA); Rhonda Whittier, Office Manager of the Pelham, NH Transfer Station & Highway Department; and Andrea Folsom, Communications Manager of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) for an introduction to the practical steps for starting a municipal food waste composting program or a food...Read more

2/2/24

If you are an NRRA municipal member who uses our cooperative marketing and purchasing benefit, you've always been required to abide by the NRRA Terms & Conditions . In the past, however, these stipulations have been located in various places.

To enhance accessibility and improve transparency, the NRRA Terms & Conditions have now been centralized on the NRRA website. By using NRRA cooperative marketing or purchasing programs, you are agreeing to the Terms & Conditions.

Moving forward, you will see reference to the Terms & Condition in new NRRA contracts, as well as a link in all confirmation emails and digital forms, as illustrated below.

View the Terms & Conditions

If you have questions about our Terms & Conditions, please contact the NRRA office at 603-736-4401 or email us at ...Read more

1/31/24
Of the over 20 solid waste-related bills proposed in New Hampshire that NRRA is tracking , one relevant for all NRRA members in New Hampshire is HB 1386 . The bill would prohibit the disposal of lithium-ion batteries in landfills, incinerators, and composting facilities , as well as prohibit the disposal of certain electronic devices.

Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable and found in cell phones, laptops, tablets, and more. According to a new report , more than 5,000 fires are estimated to occur annually at recycling facilities nationwide. Lithium-ion batteries are often the cause of such fires, including fires at transfer stations in New Hampshire.

The House Environment and Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing regarding HB 1386 on Tuesday, February 6 at 1:10pm at Legislative Office Building 301-303 in Concord.

While NRRA does not take...Read more

1/30/24
The NRRA Board of Trustees welcomes the Pelham, NH Transfer Station & Highway Department Office Manager, Rhonda Whittier , to the Board! We at NRRA are grateful for dedicated and experienced Board Members, such as Rhonda, who are committed to NRRA's mission of partnering to make recycling strong through economic and environmentally sound solutions. Rhonda has worked for the Town of Pelham, NH since 2016 and at the Transfer Station since 2018. As the Transfer Station and Highway Department Office Manager, Rhonda works closely with the Road Agent and Superintendent of the Transfer Station to keep both departments running smoothly, including providing support for grants and budgeting, as well as NHDES and Town annual reports. More recently, Rhonda has supported all aspects of establishing a new food waste diversion program in Pelham, from selecting a service provider to educating residents. Rhonda is certified as a Senior Principal Operator and a...Read more
1/11/24
The year, with support from a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the EPA, the NH Department of Environmental Services is updating the NH Climate Action Plan.

The goals of the New Hampshire Climate Pollution Reduction Program are to:

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions while supporting the creation of good jobs and lowering energy costs for families. Empower community-driven solutions in neighborhoods overburdened from pollution and impacts of climate change by directly seeking input from those communities. Under  Justice40 guidance , the program’s goal is to have 40% of overall benefits flow to these communities. Deliver cleaner air by reducing harmful air pollution in places where people live, work, play and go to school.

Part of this work is community engagement events through New Hampshire Listens to gather community feedback. Cross-sector stakeholder gatherings bring together...Read more

1/9/24
Join the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), the NH Department of Environmental Services, and Mark King of the Maine Compost School for a series of workshops on food waste diversion and composting on April 16th and 17th. With support from a USDA Rural Utilities Service grant, NRRA has teamed up to bring a series of workshops focused on food waste diversion this spring.

Even better, this workshop series is FREE! Workshops will address everything from the basics of food waste and food waste diversion to specifics on how to implement a food waste diversion program within your community, including outreach and community education.

WHO this is for:

We encourage facility or organization decisionmakers to attend these workshops, along with their operators (if the decisionmaker is not an operator) so lessons learned can turn into local action more quickly and easily.

Because of space restraints, attendance is...Read more

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