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):