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 February 6, 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 Proposed Legislation

2023 House Bills:

• HB 56 : Relative to permits for the siting of new landfills.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Megan Murray
  • Referred to Environment and Agriculture
    
    
• HB 226: Enabling municipalities to regulate the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Lucius Parshall
  • Referred to Municipal and County Government

• HB 242: Relative to banning PFAS in food packaging.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Ron Dunn
  • Referred to Commerce and Consumer Affairs

• HB 253: Establishing a committee to study extended producer responsibility.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Lucius Parshall
  • Referred to Environment and Agriculture

• HB 273: Requiring composting and waste recycling to be made available to residents of public housing.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Eric Gallager
  • Referred to Municipal and County Government

• HB 300: Prohibiting the disposal of certain food waste.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Karen Ebel
  • Referred to Environment and Agriculture

• HB 462: Making an appropriation to the solid waste management fund and targeting food waste reduction and diversion.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Karen Ebel
  • Referred to Environment and Agriculture

• HB 465: Restricting use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in certain consumer products.
  • Sponsors: (Prime)Representative Karen Ebel
  • Referred to Commerce and Consumer Affairs

• HB 602: Relative to landfill siting.
  • Sponsors: (Prime) Representative Matthew Simon
  • Referred to Environment and Agriculture

2023 Senate Bills:

• SB61: Relative to surface water setbacks for landfills.
  • Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Kevin Avard
  • Referred to Energy and Natural Resources

• SB159: Relative to permits for the siting of new landfills.
  • Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Donovan Fenton
  • Referred to Energy and Natural Resources

• SB211: Relative to background investigations of solid waste and hazardous waste facility permit applicants.
  • Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Howard Pearl
  • Referred to Executive Departments and Administration

• SB227: Relative to an assessment of solid waste facility setback requirements and making an appropriation therefor.
  • Sponsors: (Prime) Senator David Watters 
  • Referred to Energy and Natural Resources

• SB267: Relative to rulemaking for advanced recycling facilities.
  • Sponsors: (Prime) Senator Debra Altschiller
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Resources: NHDES Legislative Hearing Calendar and the 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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