Policy & Legislation

NH Solid Waste Legislation Updates - 2023 Session
The New Hampshire Legislature's 2023 session has begun. NRRA is tracking bills regarding solid waste and recycling throughout the upcoming legislative session. Please check back frequently for updates. This page was last revised on August 25, 2023.
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.
2023 Legislation
2023 House & Senate Bills
SB159: Relative to permits for the siting of new landfills.
Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Donovan Fenton
Passed House and Senate, Signed by Governor on 6/20/2023
SB211: Relative to background investigations of solid waste and hazardous waste facility permit applicants.
Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Howard Pearl
Passed House and Senate, Signed by Governor on 6/20/2023
- HB 253: Establishing a committee to study extended producer responsibility.
Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Lucius Parshall
Passed both House and Senate, Enrolled adopted
HB 300: Prohibiting the disposal of certain food waste.
Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Karen Ebel
Passed in the Budget, signed 6/20/2023
- NH's first ban on food waste becomes law in win for composting (Boston Globe)
HB 462: Making an appropriation to the solid waste management fund and targeting food waste reduction and diversion.
Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Karen Ebel
- Passed in the Budget, funded at $1,000,000 for the solid waste management fund, with $98,000 of the appropriation funding a food waste planner. Budget signed 6/20/2023
- HB 56 : Relative to permits for the siting of new landfills.
- Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Megan Murray
- Passed through the House, did not pass the Senate, bill killed.
- HB 226: Enabling municipalities to regulate the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills.
- Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Lucius Parshall
- Did not pass the House, inexpedient to legislate
- HB 273: Requiring composting and waste recycling to be made available to residents of public housing.
- Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Eric Gallager
- Did not pass the House, inexpedient to legislate
- HB 242: Relative to banning PFAS in food packaging.
- Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Ron Dunn
- Retained in committee
- HB 465: Restricting use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in certain consumer products.
- Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Karen Ebel
- Retained in the House Commerce Committee
- HB 602: Relative to landfill siting.
- Sponsors: (Prime) Representative Matthew Simon
- Retained in committee
SB61: Relative to surface water setbacks for landfills.
Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Kevin Avard
Failed to pass the House
- SB267: Relative to rule-making for advanced recycling facilities.
- Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Debra Altschiller
- Retained in committee
- SB227: Relative to an assessment of solid waste facility setback requirements and making an appropriation therefor.
- Sponsors: (Prime) Senator David Watters
- Referred to committee
Resources: NHDES 2023 Session Bill Tracking Matrix
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.
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