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On March 22, 2022, amendments to the NH Code of Admin Rules for composting facilities became effective. The rule changes by the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) are intended to clarify and simplify requirements for operating composting facilities in New Hampshire, including requirements related to composting meat and dairy products. The new rules provide more flexibility for permit-by-notification composting facilities, and also add some key permit exemptions for small-scale food waste composting efforts. Stakeholders had been eagerly waiting for proposed revisions to New Hampshire's composting regulations. Previously...

UPDATE: The Recycling AMA Video is now available in full with subtitles. Have you ever wished you could ask all of your recycling questions to a panel of experts? Now is your chance! Our Ask Me Anything: Recycling Edition panel of experts will tackle questions such as - what do those chasing arrows mean? Do egg cartons get recycled with paper or cardboard? Is recycling even worth it? And much, much more! This online event is free and open to the public on Thursday, April 21 from 12 to 1 PM EST – invite your friends, neighbors, and community. Registration required. All registrants will receive a link to the video recording afterward...

At the March 9th MOM meeting, NRRA members gathered at the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) to hear Bob Spencer talk about several of their programs, including their new tire consolidation program. Small towns usually take many months or a year to collect enough tires to meet the minimum requirements for NRRA’s vendors to pick up the tires for recycling. In response to this challenge, WSWMD generously created a new space with already existing cement dividers where its member communities could deliver tires for consolidation. This location is easily accessible for the NRRA vendor's truck equipped with a crane to pick...

The NH Solid Waste Working Group, which is responsible for assisting the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) with solid waste planning and policy initiatives, held another meeting on March 25. Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director, presented about how NRRA assists NH communities with recycling and Steve Poggi, Waste Management Area Director of Disposal Operations, presented about NH communities manage their trash. Then the group formed three subcommittees to assist NHDES with updating NH's Solid Waste Plan. As part of her presentation, Reagan explained how NRRA membership includes 85% of all towns and cities in NH...

NRRA members were pleased to meet in person on March 9th at the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) and gather around a table to discuss recycling markets and composting. After several great discussions during the Member Operations Marketing (MOM) meeting, we joined Executive Director Bob Spencer for a tour of the facility in Brattleboro, VT. In 2011, WSWMD began to collect organics and in 2012 they started a curbside collection program and sent the material to Martin's Farm in Greenfield, MA. Eventually, they opened a site in Windham to collect organics locally. The greatest incentive to increase recycling and...

At NRRA’s Member Operations Marketing (MOM) meeting on February 9, 2022, Bonnie Bethune, NRRA Senior Member Services Representative, shared four graphs to demonstrate trends in market pricing for fibers, scrap metal, aluminum cans, and plastics from 2018 to present. A picture is worth a thousand words, and these pricing charts show that despite some recent dips in market pricing, overall recycling commodity markets are either similar to or higher than the same time in 2018. Some of the key highlights from these graphs include the following. Fibers: Though somewhat lower than similar 2018 pricing, cardboard and mixed paper show...

We have received a lot of interest and excitement about our new Recycle Right Campaign that is launching on April 18, 2022! (There is still plenty of time to sign up.) Because this is a new program, we thought it would be helpful to explain what exactly you'll see over the course of the 4-month campaign. You can access the campaign on our Facebook page and through our Instagram page. The campaign will include: Weekly social media posts Videos A bi-weekly newsletter (10 total over 4 months) A dedicated page on the NRRA website that will host all posts and videos for future use Instructions on how a town can run its own, locally...

Municipal recycling facilities have recently started to receive outdated solar panels and solar lights and have reached out to NRRA to help recycle these items. In collaboration with one of our electronics vendors, NRRA is pleased to announce the newest addition to our electronics recycling program. If you receive solar panels or solar lights from residents, please reach out to NRRA for handling procedures and pricing. NOTE: If you are contacted by a solar panel company, please have them reach out to NRRA as we may refer that company directly to our vendor. Please contact NRRA Member Services at 603-736-4401 for further information.

As one of our cooperative purchasing programs, NRRA is seeking orders for black plastic gaylords. Our members use these lightweight and durable gaylords for storage of aluminum cans and plastics prior to baling. We need to order a minimum of 40 gaylords, as these are custom-made by NRRA’s vendor in Laconia, NH. Members can order any number of gaylords, with or without lids. Once made, these gaylords need to be picked up by the member at NRRA’s vendor in Laconia, NH. NH the Beautiful offers grants for NH Members for up to 20% of the purchase price. Please contact NRRA Member Services at 603-736-4401 for more details and pricing.

The New Hampshire Legislature has begun its 2022 session, and NRRA has prepared a list of numerous bills related to solid waste and recycling. NRRA will periodically provide updates regarding these bills and encourages members to testify on bills relevant to their work. NRRA may testify regarding some bills to educate lawmakers, but NRRA does not take a position on proposed legislation. This article was last updated Feb. 9, 2022. Need a refresher about how the legislative process works in New Hampshire? Here's an overview of how a bill becomes a law. In addition, the NH Department of Environmental Services prepares a bill tracking...