Latest News

The Six Rs

4/26/23
How many Rs are there?

Member Services Manager, Brian Patnoe, recently shared his thoughts on the modern day Rs and it's more than recycling:

Many of us grew up with the “Three Rs”. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Nice and simple. But like most things in life, it's expanded over time. We need to start looking at things differently.

Since I twisted my knee badly right before Earth Day , I could not help with our town’s roadside cleanup, so instead I decided to bring the Earth Day sentiment home. I looked around my house to see what changes I could make to become even more environmentally friendly. That's right, even with over 20 years in this industry, even I can still do better - just like we all can.

I started by thinking about and looking at 6 fundamental options: Can I REDUCE my waste, can I REUSE...Read more

EBC 9th Annual Talking Trash Conference Recap

4/20/23
EBC 9th Annual Talking Trash Conference Recap
On Tuesday April 11, NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, attended the Environmental Business Council of New England (EBC) 9th Annual Talking Trash Conference for Northern New England. NRRA was a conference partner along with the Solid Waste Association of North America for the event, and Reagan served on the conference planning team. This year, Reagan suggested that the conference highlight concrete solutions to solid waste problems, rather than focus mostly on the problems. The group agreed and identified three main topics to cover: municipal solid waste, organics, and soils and sludge. While introducing the conference, Reagan encouraged speakers to define any acronyms used, because while most of the audience was experienced solid waste professionals, there are always new people we want to welcome into the conversation. Opening the first presentation, Redirecting Municipal Solid Waste , the moderator noted that if the proposed Dalton landfill is constructed, it would be the...Read more

Responsible Recycling Interview

4/17/23
Happy Earth Day 2023 with image of hands holding a green plant

This year for Earth Day, NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, was interviewed on responsible recycling. In the spirit of recycling, we wanted to share the interview with you as well. You can find more responsible recycling answers in our Recycle Right pages!

While recycling has become commonplace for most households in the United States, many people still have a very casual attitude toward it. What’s your point of view on the importance of individuals playing their part to recycle?

One person can make a difference when it comes to recycling. Each piece you recycle - no matter how small - adds up. Take, for example, a single aluminum can - recycling just one can save enough energy to run a 14 watt CFL bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a...Read more

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

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