Latest News

Solid Waste Working Group Update: Focus on Food Waste

4/6/23
Solid Waste Working Group Update - NRRA April 2023
The Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG) met on March 31st. The meeting featured three presentations about food waste diversion initiatives. University of NH presented on their composting program in Durham, NH. Food waste from campus cafeterias and bedding from their equine program is combined to create compost for use on UNH farm fields. To reduce contamination, UNH has food services staff, rather than students and faculty, separate food scraps in campus cafeterias. Elm City Compost Initiative, a residential compost collection service in Keene, NH, presented from their perspective. Specifically, the owner shared three ideas for how New Hampshire could support more food waste diversion: (1) provide incentives for businesses to divert food waste; (2) advertise food waste diversion options at local transfer stations; and (3) provide financial support for purchasing equipment for composting operations, such as a tractor. Waste Management (WM) ...Read more

Welcome to our 2023 New Board Members!

3/29/23
Welcome to our 2023 New Board Members
The NRRA Board of Trustees has welcomed Littleton Solid Waste Manager, Steve Bean, and Lancaster Town Manager, Ben Gaetjens-Oleson to the Board! We at NRRA are grateful for dedicated and experienced Board Members, such as Steve and Ben, who are committed to NRRA's mission of partnering to make recycling strong through economic and environmentally sound solutions. Steve has worked at the Littleton Transfer Station since 2014, becoming Lead Attendant in 2017, and Manager in February of 2021. He was awarded the NRRA Rookie of the Year in 2021 and most recently came in 2nd place in NHTB Engage the Residents contest! Working in conjunction with the NRRA and Trex decking, Steve has created the film recycling program in Littleton that continues to divert the product away from the landfill. In his spare time Steve enjoys riding his Harley, fishing, hiking, and spending time with his wife Pamela and their...Read more

C&D Summits a Success - Part 2

3/29/23
C&D Summits a Success - Part 2

The second of three summits aimed at Increasing Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion in Coos County, NH was held earlier in March 2023. The project is funded in part by a EPA Healthy Communities grant . The first summit was held in December 2022 .

The NRRA Member Services team, along with NRRA's Executive Director, spent two days in Coos County presenting at the summit, and then taking part in tours of a local landfill and transfer station.

The second summit was open to Coos County Transfer Station operators and staff, selectmen, town administrators, Public Works staff, and so on. The goal was to share answers to several questions presented in the initial presentation and continue the discussion around increasing C&D diversion. It lasted for three hours and had a total of 21 attendees, which included EPA representative,...Read more

C&D Summits a Success - Part 1

3/29/23
C&D Summits a Success - Part 1

In the fall of 2022, NRRA launched a new project aimed at Increasing Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion in Coos County, NH. The project is funded in part by a EPA Healthy Communities grant , and the first of three summits was held in December 2022.

The NRRA Member Services team, along with our Executive Director, spent two days in Coos County presenting at the initial summit, and then taking part in site visits at two Coos County NRRA Member transfer stations.

The first summit was limited solely to transfer station operators and was focused on providing an initial presentation on C&D and then gathering information about current C&D diversion in Coos County. It lasted for three hours and had a total of 20 attendees, which included EPA representative, Christine Beling. With a total of 14 of 20 towns from Coos...Read more

Keep Materials Clean with a Gaylord

3/10/23
Keep materials clean, try a gaylord.
Cooperative Purchasing Program – Black Plastic Gaylords NRRA works with Mills Industries in Laconia NH who custom-makes black plastic gaylords for NRRA members.

These lightweight, durable and long-lasting gaylords are great for storing recyclables such as plastics, aluminum, and steel cans prior to baling.

They come with a lid, so they can be stacked, and are made of #5 polypropylene.

NRRA Cooperative Purchasing Gaylord Facts:

In January 2023, NRRA Members purchased 50 gaylords with lids Cost to Members was $217.99 each 2 of the 3 communities that purchased these gaylords applied for a grant through NH the Beautiful to cover the costs

Testimonials:

“We purchased the gaylords to be used at the Tuftonboro Transfer Station as tools to assist us in our recycling efforts. We currently have one that...Read more

End of Month Load? You May Want to Wait.

2/22/23
End of Month Load? You May Want to Wait.
Do you have a load of recycling ready for the end of the month? It may be in your best interest to hold it for a bit.

If your municipality markets their baled materials such as mixed paper and cardboard (also known in the industry as "fibers"), plastics, steel, and aluminum cans through NRRA, you may have noticed some fluctuation when it comes to pick up times, hauling fees, and pricing depending on the time of month that you request your baled material pickup.

For some, holding onto a recycling load any longer than absolutely necessary is more of a headache than it's worth - you may want it moved and an additional cost isn't an issue. For those who can wait, however, making the switch to sending loads in the beginning or middle of a month may make sense fiscally and logistically. Why? Because the last week-and-a-half of...Read more

Healthy Communities & Environmental Justice

2/16/23
A presentation at the EPA Grantee Celebration 2023 in Boston, MA
On February 15, Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, and Communications Manager, Andrea Folsom, headed to Boston for a celebration of U.S. EPA - New England Region 1 Healthy Communities grants that were completed last year. We heard from nine grant recipient organizations covering everything from food waste, energy management, childhood lead exposure, mold and mildew in rentals, community leadership and engagement activities, and more. Though projects may have differed, the through-line of helping one community, one person, one day at a time adds up to big changes and healthier communities. We also had the opportunity to lunch with a few like-minded organizations and expand on the unique challenges residents and transfer station operators in New Hampshire face, that are unheard of in neighboring states (for example, the fact that each NH town is in charge of its own waste and recycling). It highlighted the necessity of our organization to step in...Read more

Member Services Site-Visit Highlights: Gilmanton & New Durham

2/14/23
member services site visit highlights

Have you ever wondered what our Member Services team does? Made up of our Member Services Manager, Brian Patnoe, and Senior Member Services Representative, Bonnie Bethune, they have over 60+ years of recycling and solid waste management experience to pull from. Together, their department offers cooperative marketing and purchasing, along with ongoing technical assistance to member communities through email, phone, and in-person site visits. They put together member-only market updates, and answer common member inquiries such as recycling trends, proper processing techniques, or market specifications.

Recently, the Member Services team had great visits with the Gilmanton and New Durham Transfer Stations. Brian and Bonnie were impressed with both facilities!

“Gilmanton had some pretty cool repurposed items, which included a whole building,” noted Brian. He also scored a bag of chicken feed from the “Gilmanton Mall,” their version of a swap shop....Read more

Don't Forget Our Operators - a message from our Executive Director

2/3/23
Solid Waste Operators Must Be Considered when temperatures drop and wind chills rise
As dangerously cold winds continue to blow across New Hampshire, transfer station staff brace for temperatures far below zero with a wind chill over the weekend.

In one North Country town, the transfer station facility manager asked to close for staff safety. The town’s leadership refused.

Meanwhile, the manager of a southern New Hampshire transfer station faced uncertainty about whether to close his facility. He wanted to close to keep his staff safe. However, if he did close, his part-time staff would not get paid.

At yet another transfer station, staff face the lack of a heated indoor space to warm up in between trips outside. Over the manager’s objections, it remains open on Saturday.

These are just three of the many stories I’ve heard recently from some of our state’s most essential workers: our solid waste facility operators who handle our trash and recycling, help...Read more

January 2023 Solid Waste Working Group Update

1/31/23
Solid Waste Working Group Update - January 2023
The NH Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG), which is responsible for assisting the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) with solid waste planning and policy initiatives, held its first meeting of the new year on Friday, January 27th. The meeting began with a presentation by Josh Kelly, Solid Waste Program Manager with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC). One of the SWWG's responsibilities is to "review and make recommendations regarding municipal solid waste plans and implementing the prohibition of any landfill in the state from accepting waste from a municipality that does not have a solid waste management plan." Josh described the Solid Waste Implementation Plans VTDEC requires municipalities (or solid waste districts) in Vermont to develop. Among other things, the plans require that: Municipalities engage in educational outreach to businesses and schools in their communities Hold household hazardous waste collection events Implement pay as you throw...Read more

Pages