Policy & Legislation

NH Solid Waste Legislation Updates - 2025 Session

The New Hampshire Legislature's 2025 session has begun. NRRA will be tracking bills regarding solid waste and recycling throughout the legislative session. Please check back frequently for updates. This page was last revised on February 10, 2025.

Need a refresher about how the legislative process works in New Hampshire? Here's an overview of how a bill becomes a law. A Glossary of Terms is also provided at the end of this update. 

Please note: NRRA does not take a position for or against any legislation; however, NRRA occasionally provides testimony about proposed legislation to educate elected officials about how proposed legislation might impact NRRA member communities.

2025 Legislation

2025 House Bills

• HB 167: relative to prohibiting the sale of ski, boat, and board waxes that contain intentionally added per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS).
   
  • Prime Sponsor: Wendy Thomas
  • In Committee: Commerce and Consumer Affairs
• HB 171: relative to establishing a moratorium on the issuance of permits for new landfills.
   
  • Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HB 215-FN: relative to requiring a landfill permit applicant to submit a report listing potential harms and benefits of the project.
   
  • Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HB 355: relative to the membership of the solid waste working group.
   
  • Prime Sponsor: Karen Ebel
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HB 416: relative to prohibiting the intentional disposal of yard waste into the surface waters of the state.
   
  • Prime Sponsor: Rosmarie Rung
  • In Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
• HB 451: relative to establishing the paint product stewardship program.
  • Prime Sponsor: Karen Ebel
  • In Committee: Commerce and Consumer Affairs
• HB 479: relative to establishing a committee to study the use and problems associated with regulating the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills and transfer centers.
  • Prime Sponsor: Lucius Parshall
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HB 556: relative to the sale of products labeled as biodegradable or compostable.
  • Prime Sponsor: Lucius Parshall
  • In Committee: Commerce and Consumer Affairs
• HB 566: relative to requiring permit applications for new landfills to contain a detailed plan for leachate management.
  • Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HB 619: relative to making an appropriation to the solid waste management fund.
  • Prime Sponsor: Karen Ebel
  • In Committee: Finance
• HB 707: relative to requiring the department of environmental services to establish a site-specific setback distance for proposed new landfills.
  • Prime Sponsor: Kelley Potenza
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HR10: relative to recognizing the fundamental right to have clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.
  • Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture
• HR13: relative to opposing the permitting of a landfill next to Forest Lake State Park in Dalton, New Hampshire.
  • Prime Sponsor: Jared Sullivan
  • In Committee: Environment and Agriculture

2025 Senate Bills

• SB 226: relative to suspending applications for new landfills and establishing a committee to study the feasibility of incinerating solid waste.
  • Prime Sponsor: David Rochefort
  • In Committee: Energy and Natural Resources
• SB 227: relative to site setbacks for landfills.
  • Prime Sponsor: David Rochefort
  • In Committee: Energy and Natural Resources

Resources: The General Court of New Hampshire

Glossary of Terms

Indefinitely postpone:

• Bill considered killed.

Inexpedient to legislate (ITL):

• A recommendation by the committee indicating that the committee is against the bill.
• Bill considered killed.

Legislative Service Request (LSR):

• An LSR is a filing made by a legislator for a proposed bill and submitted to the Office of Legislative Services to have a bill drafted. It is then assigned a bill docket number. Draft bills come from the 400 elected members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the 24 members of the New Hampshire Senate.

Ought to pass (OTP):

• A recommendation by the committee indicating that the committee supports the bill.

Ought to pass as amended (OTPA):

• A recommendation by the committee indicating that the committee supports the bill with an amendment(s).

Refer to interim study:

•  The committee would like the House or Senate to send it back down to the committee for further analysis.

Tabled:

• A legislative body adopts a motion to suspend consideration of a bill indefinitely.

Policy Articles and Updates: