Latest News

We've got some great news to share about our scrap metal recycling program, and it's all thanks to you. Your hard work and commitment have made a huge difference, and we're seeing some amazing results. When we introduced the new two-stage separation process on June 9 to many of our members, we knew it would be a big undertaking. We asked you to take extra time to sort and inspect materials, and you stepped up to the challenge. The results speak for themselves. In the eight months before we made this change, we had 79 prohibited items show up in scrap metal loads. But after implementing the new process, that number dropped to only...

NH Recycles would like to extend its deepest gratitude to three distinguished members of our Board of Trustees who are concluding their dedicated service: John Hurd, Brian Bartram, and Roger Guzowski. Their collective expertise, unwavering commitment, and invaluable leadership have been instrumental in shaping our organization and advancing our mission over the years. John Hurd: A Champion of Rural Recycling Since joining the board in 2007, John Hurd has been a steadfast advocate for cost-effective recycling in rural areas. As the Solid Waste Manager for the Londonderry Solid Waste Group in Vermont, John's extensive experience has...

The NH Recycles Member Services team of Brian Patnoe, Member Services Director, and Steve Bean, Municipal Recycling Advisor, recently spent four hours at the Lancaster Transfer Station. Their goal? To connect with residents and help them with their recycling efforts. Armed with information and a few surprises, they made the day a little brighter for everyone who stopped by. Educating and Rewarding the Community Brian and Steve weren't just there to answer recycling questions - they also came prepared with rewards for those who were "recycling right". They handed out free recycling bins and gift cards worth $50 each from three local...

The Littleton Transfer Station buzzed with an extra dose of positive energy on a recent Tuesday, as two NH Recycles representatives hosted a "Recycle Rights Rewards" event aimed at "catching" residents in the act of recycling correctly and rewarding them for their efforts. The initiative - part of the ongoing Recycle Right North Country campaign - and designed to educate and incentivize proper recycling behavior, was met with a mix of surprise, gratitude, and a healthy dose of curiosity from local residents. NH Recycles' Member Services Director, Brian Patnoe, and Municipal Recycling Advisor, Steve Bean, initially set up a table...

In 2024, NH Recycles was invited to participate in the creation of the Wasted Food Brief for the 2025 NH Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan, published earlier this year. Andrea Folsom, NH Recycles' Education & Grants Manager, served as the brief's lead author, and Reagan Bissonnette, NH Recycles' Executive Director, served as one of the brief's subject matter expert and contributing author. The other subject matter experts included Allison Bussiere , Food Systems Coordinator of Gather ; Cherry Sullivan, Director of Programs for Willing Hands ; and Paige Wilson , Waste Reduction & Diversion Planner for the NH Department of...

Did you know that your annual vehicle registration fee could be helping your town with its recycling efforts? In New Hampshire, a law passed in 1989 (RSA 261:153) allows municipalities to collect a small additional fee during vehicle registration to create a town reclamation trust fund. This fund is specifically designed to help with the costs of collecting and disposing of certain difficult-to-recycle items. How It Works: The Fee Structure Towns can choose to add these fees to vehicle registrations, with the amount depending on the type of vehicle. $5 for heavy vehicles: This includes heavy trucks, buses, and trailers over 18,000...

On a recent visit to Coös County, Steve Bean, NH Recycles' Municipal Recycling Advisor, witnessed firsthand how small, rural communities are making a big difference in recycling by working together. His site visit tour highlighted a strong network of transfer stations and a central recycling hub that helps to streamline the recycling process for several towns. Steve's first stop was the Colebrook Transfer Station, managed by Dave Bunnel. The facility collects a wide range of recyclables, including cardboard, mixed paper, plastics (#1 PETE, #2 natural, #2 mixed color), and steel and aluminum cans. Instead of processing these...

For the most updated information, please view the NH Solid Waste Disposal Surcharge Resource Page. Original article from July 2025, information has since been updated. You may have heard about the new Solid Waste Disposal Surcharge, which was included in the recently passed 2026-2027 state budget. We wanted to update you about the new surcharge and answer a few questions we've heard from members. We do want to note that more information will become available when NHDES begins the rule-making process for the surcharge. NH Recycles will be sure to share additional updates with our members. Visit the NHDES Solid Waste Disposal...

The NH Recycles 2025 Fall Bus Tour has been announced: this year's bus will be traveling to Rutland, VT to tour the Rutland County SWD Material Recovery Facility (MRF)! For years, NH Recycles' Members have requested a MRF tour, but because there are no MRFs in New Hampshire, getting to one is no small feat. For that reason, this year's tour will only have one stop and one BIG tour - the MRF. We will get to see how material comes in, the different ways it gets sorted, and how it's managed and sent to end markets. If you are an operator who works in a community that has single stream recycling, this will be a great opportunity to get...

The 2025 legislative session, which included a new 2-year budget for the state of New Hampshire, is now complete and several bills that passed the House and Senate have been signed into law. We wanted to take a moment to update our members on some important policy and legislative updates that will affect all New Hampshire recycling centers and transfer stations. For ongoing updates on legislative sessions, please refer to our Policy and Legislation Page. 2025 Legislative Updates HB 2 (related to the state budget) passed, which included changes to eliminate the ability of organizations to nominate representatives to the NHDES waste...