Latest News

Caps on bottles have been a point of confusion in the recycling industry. Should caps be left on containers, thrown in the trash, or separated out? Are caps considered contamination? NRRA’s member service team would like to clear up some of these questions for members, and help you determine what the best protocol is for your facility. Caps are typically made of polypropylene, or number five plastic. Bottles and jugs are most often made of number one PET (i.e., plastic water bottles, salad dressing containers, mouthwash containers, etc.) or number 2 HDPE (i.e., milk jugs, bleach containers, etc.) plastic, being a different plastic...

The NRRA Board of Trustees and staff would like to recognize and thank Duncan Watson for his service to the Board. Duncan recently resigned from the Board of Trustees after serving on the Board for nearly 24 years. For a number of those years, he held the offices of President and Vice President. Duncan currently serves as the Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Keene, NH. He has been with the Department of Public Works since 1992. Duncan runs the Solid Waste Division which features the largest municipally operated materials recovery facility in the State of New Hampshire processing upwards of 8,000 tons of recyclables...

The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) is pleased to announce the release of our 2020 Annual Report. The compact, flip-book format of the report makes it easy to share the value of recycling and NRRA membership with municipal staff, elected officials, and residents. The report includes the following features: Summary of notable achievements and member services, including our Environmental Impact Report, with links to our website Revenue and Expenses breakdown for Fiscal Year 2020 Tonnages by Commodity infographic (pictured below) Special thank you to our members, vendors and donors View our 2020 Annual Report We would...

Safely managing used lithium batteries has become a significant challenge for the waste industry. The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), in partnership with the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), recently held a free two-part webinar series on this important topic that explained how lithium-ion batteries are used and how to safely manage them. Lithium-Ion Batteries Generally Lithium-ion batteries, often called rechargeable batteries, have been dominating the battery market in most recent years. With their versatility, convenience, and small, lightweight...

HDPE stands for High Density Polyethylene. Natural HDPE plastic is commonly used for milk jugs and other translucent containers, such as water and beverage bottles or shampoo containers. Left to Right: Baled HDPE Natural (Note: Some NRRA vendors do not accept cardboard headers); Loose HDPE Natural; Baled HDPE Natural The price of HDPE natural has been reaching record highs, more than doubling over a period of 12 months. The recycling of this commodity has been proving to be a lucrative program for many local communities. In the year of 2020 alone, $62,245 ($72,585 so far in 2021) was returned to NRRA communities for the sale of...

The NRRA Board of Trustees and staff would like to recognize and thank David E. Hartman for his years of service to the Board. Dave recently resigned from the Board of Trustees after serving on the Board for 13 years. When Dave joined the Board in 2008, he was a Selectman in the Town of Warner, NH. He served in that role from 2005 to 2016 and loved it. Prior to that, Dave led the effort to recycle in Warner. He chaired the town’s Recycling Committee over 20 years ago, which brought to the Town Meeting a warrant article declaring, “Recycling in Warner shall be mandatory.” It passed overwhelmingly by voice vote! He continues to...

As the current NH legislative session nears an end, NRRA has prepared a summary of legislation relevant to solid waste and recycling, including many recent updates. The bills address establishing a solid waste working group on solid waste management planning, updating compost regulations, establishing a statewide solid waste disposal reduction goal, and prohibiting the siting of a landfill near a state park. The summary also includes a summary and recent updates regarding the proposed Casella landfill in Dalton, NH. HB 413: An Act establishing a solid waste working group on solid waste management planning, relative to compost, and...

NRRA municipal members gathered virtually on June 9 th for a great MOM meeting during the heat wave. In addition to discussing current markets and member services updates, attendees got a special presentation on Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events and catch basin cleanings from Brett Rogers, Disposal Manager at Environmental Projects, Inc. (EPI), an NRRA vendor. Bonnie Bethune, Members Services Manager, reviewed the good news for many recyclables in this bull market. In 2020, mills were overstocked with material. Now that the economy has opened again in 2021, no manufacturer wants to be caught without enough inventory...

What does it mean to tell your local Public Works story? Marilee LaFond, Director of Technology Transfer Center at UNH gathered a panel of speakers to explore storytelling at their latest virtual discussion on May 19, 2021. Why does storytelling in Public Works matter? In the past, Public Works have done their work quietly and hoped that the public was satisfied with the results. Resident’s expectations have changed today, and they want more communication about local projects. Public Works need to explain what they do and why it is important. They need to show residents that Public Works is making progress and not “just standing...

The Salisbury/Sharon CT Transfer Station, managed by Brian Bartram, Transfer Station Manager and NRRA Board of Trustees member, recently launched a food scrap composting pilot program on the 1 st of May. This program will now allow up to 120 households in Salisbury/Sharon to sign up for the food scrap composting pilot, with 115 households currently signed up. This pilot program will be for a length of 5 months. These food scraps will be brought to Curbside Compost in Ridgefield, CT and turned into compost. This includes hard to compost items such as meat and dairy; and don’t forget your napkins, paper towels, and newspaper (these...