Andrea Folsom is the Executive Director of NH Recycles and a certified Senior Principal Solid Waste Operator in the State of New Hampshire. She leads the organization’s work supporting communities across New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts through cooperative marketing, technical assistance, education, and grant-funded programming.
In her role, Andrea works with municipalities, recycling facilities, vendors, government agencies, and nonprofit partners to strengthen local recycling programs and develop practical, collaborative solutions to solid waste challenges. Her work includes building and maintaining recycling market relationships, identifying opportunities for communities to combine their purchasing or marketing power, and helping municipal officials and operators evaluate program options, address operational challenges, and respond to changing market conditions.
Andrea is particularly skilled at translating complex recycling, market, and regulatory information into clear guidance that communities can put into practice. Since joining NH Recycles, she has expanded the organization’s educational programming, technical resources, grant-funded initiatives, and digital communications, helping municipalities, operators, decision-makers, and residents better understand how to reduce waste and manage recyclable materials safely and effectively.
Andrea writes and speaks extensively about recycling and waste reduction in regional and national forums. She authored the Wasted Food Brief for the New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan and led the work that resulted in NH Recycles receiving the Northeast Recycling Council’s 2025 Environmental Leadership Award for Outstanding Program. The award recognized the organization’s proactive efforts to expand composting education and food waste diversion across New Hampshire.
Andrea received a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Iowa and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Macalester College. She is an alumna of Leadership New Hampshire, Class of 2025. Andrea lives in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, with her husband and two children. She serves as Vice Chair of the Hopkinton School Board and is a member of the Town of Hopkinton Economic Development Committee and the Hopkinton Waste Reduction Committee.