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The New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG) held its most recent meeting at the end of April. It was a particularly interesting for those trash nerds among us as John Culbertson, Vice President at MSW Consultants, gave a detailed presentation sharing the key results from NH's first ever Waste Characterization Study. The final report is expected to be issued in the coming weeks, so this was our first opportunity to review the findings. There are some important nuances to keep in mind as we reviewed the presentation. First, the study only looked at waste disposed of in NH that comes from NH, so it's important to keep in mind...

Last week, NRRA's Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, attended a tour of the newly upgraded compost facility at Windham Solid Waste Management District. The facility had met its permit capacity for composting and wanted to continue to expand their compost operation. Given their limited footprint, they implemented compost aeration and heat recovery systems to maximize space and labor efficiency. The operation is able take food waste from local businesses and schools, as well as certified compostable packaging, pet litter, soiled paper, and more. The aeration and heat recovery systems allow them the district to bring material to a...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Epsom, NH – The New Hampshire-based recycling nonprofit Northeast Resource Recovery Association’s (NRRA) Recycling Conference & Expo highlights new, engaging, and current recycling and solid waste management topics and practices that help transfer stations, recycling centers, and municipalities manage their recycling facilities in environmentally and economically sound ways. For over 40 years, the Recycling Conference has been the premier annual event focused exclusively on municipal recycling and waste reduction in New England. Held at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH on Monday, May 19 and Tuesday...

NRRA's Recycling Conference highlights new, engaging, and current recycling and solid waste management topics and practices that help transfer stations, recycling centers, and municipalities manage their recycling facilities in environmentally and economically sound ways. The conference is a unique opportunity for hundreds of solid waste operators, volunteers, and residents to participate in workshops and meet experts in recycling, composting, municipal solid waste, and more. This year's conference is focused on specific recyclables, such as batteries, mattresses, used oil, plastics, and glass, while also taking a 30,000-foot-view...

The most recent NRRA Member Operations & Marketing meeting included a special presentation about the upcoming lithium-ion battery ban, presented by Tara Albert, the Solid Waste Operator Training & Certification Coordinator with the NHDES Waste Management Division. The ban goes into effect on July 1, 2025 and applies to everyone: residents, visitors, haulers, transfer stations, landfills, and waste-to-energy incinerators. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries that, when damaged, can cause catastrophic fires and explosions, while expelling toxic gasses. The chemical reaction is called, "thermal runaway." It is a chain...

The New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG) held its most recent meeting on Friday, March 28th. Two presenters joined the meeting to speak about mattress recycling opportunities in NH: Trevor Mance, Senior Business Development Manager for Casella Waste Systems and Rodney Clara, VP of Sales & Business Development for Tough Stuff Recycling. Mattress recycling is of interest to the committee because currently, most mattresses in NH are thrown away rather than recycled at end of life. They are difficult to manage, hard to transport, and take up valuable space in landfills - in addition to causing operational problems in both...

On Wednesday, March 14th over 50 people gathered in person and even more online to celebrate NRRA's Senior Member Services Representative, Bonnie Bethune, who is retiring in early April after nearly 22 years at NRRA and a lifetime in the recycling industry. According to Bonnie, it all began April 22, 1970: an Earth Day, where 11 year old Bonnie did her first road cleanup with her family on the roadside in Chester, NH. As Bonnie said, she was lucky enough to have two careers. The first outside, working at the Wilton and New Boston Recycling Centers; the second in the office at NRRA. Bonnie has accomplished and contributed so much...

In late January, NRRA's executive director, Reagan Bissonnette, was able to participate in Kendal at Hanover's “Are Plastics Forever?” week. Reagan presented "The State of Recycling in New Hampshire and the Northeast." An active group of residents at Kendal, a retirement community, created the nonprofit SSAFE - Senior Stewards Acting for the Climate. The Kendal at Hanover's chapter includes a plastics group, which planned the week of education. Throughout the week of January 27th, residents and staff explored the impact of plastics on our planet and discovered ways to create a more sustainable future. Events included a screening of...

Have you ever heard of Congressionally Directed Spending and wondered to yourself, "what is that and how can I ask for some for my town?" We sure have! Thanks to a February 2025 webinar through Senator Shaheen's office, however, we now have answers and are ready to share! What is Congressionally Directed Spending? Let's start with the basics. Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) are essentially short-term grants for community development projects. They are also sometimes referred to as "earmarks" or "community project funding." Only certain federal accounts are open for congressional directed spending requests, and only...