Latest News

Last year, NRRA began these conversations about C&D Diversion with Coös County facilities. This year, we are excited to move forward and focus on new topics related to C&D diversion, including bulky waste diversion and reuse; asphalt, brick, and concrete (ABC) recycling; and the idea of deconstruction - plus lots more technical assistance opportunities. At our first North Country C&D Diversion 2.0 Summit, we welcomed 10 new communities into the fold. Member Services Manager, Brian Patnoe, gave a brief overview of how this year's work differs from last, including two new feasibility studies looking into ABC crushing and C&D recycling...

Recycling questions. We all have them! And living in a unique state like New Hampshire where each individual town and city is responsible for handling their own recycling (and no two towns do things the same) means that recycling questions can be especially confusing. We've gathered some of the common questions we hear to help give you a sense of the recycling landscape in New Hampshire AND point you to some really great resources you may not know exist! Why is recycling in my community the way it is? It's different in other towns, and I don't know why. If your town is a member of NRRA (and 90% of towns in NH are!) then part of what...

Did you know that NRRA does Vendor Site Visits for the benefit of our members and vendors? Vendor site visits are important for a number of reasons. First, we have a responsibility to vet our vendors to make sure they are recycling our members' material using environmentally sound practices. This vetting happens both when we bring on a new vendor and also periodically throughout our working relationship. Second, there is nothing better than visiting a vendor at their place of business and getting a tour to better understand and appreciate the complexity of their operations so we can help our members work better with our vendors...

Do you ever wonder what happens once you call NRRA to request a pickup of your recyclable materials? Let's take a look at all that happens behind the scenes once you submit a request for pickup to the logistics team by phone, load request form, or email. That's when the secret life of a load of recyclables begins! The logistics department is a very busy but well-oiled machine consisting of our Member Services Director, Logistics Coordinator, and Administrative Specialist. Together, we help our 450+ members with their logistics-related needs and questions. This includes requests for standard pickup or delivery; baled plastic, fibers...

You have probably heard NRRA talk about the plastic markets by now. It has been the big talk for nearly 6 months now. Markets are down and plastics are hard to get rid of. There are numerous reasons for the low prices and NRRA wanted to share with you some of the reasons. #1 PET There is a global overabundance of recycled PET right now. Add that, plus the fact that low quality/low priced imports of recycled PET and cheap virgin material and you can see why the market has been pretty gloomy. It is not all bad news though; market prices have risen around 1.5 cents per pound lately. We are slowly seeing PET become a source of revenue...

The Voices of Experience Panel was a hit at this year's NRRA Annual Meeting. Five participants with extensive experience in the industry shared their perspectives on a variety of questions and their answers were just too good to keep to ourselves! The panel consisted of: Mark Richardson, Board Treasurer and retired Transfer Station Coordinator for the Town of Hampton, NH; Joan Cudworth, Board President and Director of Public Works for Hollis, NH; John Fay, Board Member and Programs Manager for the Windham Solid Waste Management District in VT; Brian Patnoe, NRRA Member Services Manager; and Tara Albert, SWOT Training and...

NRRA staff, Board of Trustees, and voting municipal members gathered on Wednesday, November 1st at the Puritan Backroom conference center to celebrate this year's NRRA award winners, hear from a fantastic "Voices of Experience" panel, and vote on the new Board of Trustees slate. NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, opened the meeting reflecting on NRRA's 42-year history of being a member-centered nonprofit operating in what has generally been a for-profit space of the recyclable market. In fact, when NRRA was founded in 1981, we were the sole organization helping New Hampshire municipalities market their recyclables...

EPSOM, NH: The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), is pleased to announce the 2023 Recycling Award winners: Bonnie Bethune, Sami Izzo Recycler of the Year; Frank Baker, Rookie of the Year; APC Paper, Vendor of the Year; Bob Fanny, Continuing Education Award; Stacey Morrison, NRRA Hall of Fame; and fifteen Honorary Lifetime Membership recipients. Awardees were celebrated at the November 1 st Annual Meeting. NRRA Senior Member Services Representative, Bonnie Bethune, received the highest award, named in remembrance of Sami Izzo, a high energy, multi-talented individual known for her contributions in the world of waste...

On October 18, NRRA staff and municipal member certified solid waste facility operators headed out on the Annual Fall Bus Tour. The plan for the day included a driving tour of the Waste Management Turnkey Landfill in Rochester, NH, followed by a walking tour of Universal Recycling Technologies' to see their cathode-ray tube (CRT) electronics recycling process, and finally a tour of the Lee, NH Transfer Station. In a follow up survey, it's clear the sold-out bus tour was a success! Participants enjoyed getting an insider's look into three aspects of solid waste management - landfilling, universal waste recycling, and source separated...