NH Solid Waste Legislation Updates: 2025 Session
The New Hampshire Legislature's 2025 session is complete. NH Recycles tracks bills regarding solid waste and recycling throughout the legislative session. You can check back for updates. This page was last revised on July 22, 2025.
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.
Please note: NH Recycles does not take a position for or against any legislation; however, NH Recycles occasionally provides testimony about proposed legislation to educate elected officials about how proposed legislation might impact NH Recycles' member communities.
2025 Legislation
New Solid Waste Disposal Surcharge
The recently passed 2026-2027 state budget includes a new Solid Waste Disposal Surcharge. As summarized by NHDES:
“Beginning January 1, 2026, a $3.50/ton solid waste disposal surcharge will be collected quarterly by NHDES from operators of landfills, incinerators and waste-to-energy facilities for each ton of solid waste disposed of at these facilities. The fees are to be paid by the facilities’ customers and collected by the facility operators. The fees will be deposited to the Solid Waste Management Fund, and will fund NHDES’ implementation of its solid waste management program, including facility permitting, compliance assurance, planning, outreach and education; quarterly payments to municipalities to offset their surcharge payments; and a matching grant program to facilitate waste disposal reduction.'”
How does this impact NH Recycles municipal members?
A NH municipality will be required to pay this fee if they dispose solid waste in NH. However, 100% of the fees paid by the municipality will be refunded quarterly to the municipality.
How will this fee benefit NH Recycles municipal members?
Fees collected by businesses and other entities will be used to support grants to reduce waste and improve recycle. Municipalities will be eligible to apply for these grants.
Do other states do this?
Several New England states fund their solid waste programs with a disposal surcharge, including Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
More information will become available when NHDES begins the rule-making process. NH Recycles will be sure to share additional updates with our members.
2025 House & Senate Bills
HB 167: relative to prohibiting the sale of ski, boat, and board waxes that contain intentionally added per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS).
- Prime Sponsor: Wendy Thomas
- PASSED House and Senate, signed into law on May 14, 2025
HB 171: relative to establishing a moratorium on the issuance of permits for new landfills.
- Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
- Passed the House, Referred to Committee in the Senate (did not pass)
HB 215-FN: relative to requiring a landfill permit applicant to submit a report listing potential harms and benefits of the project.
- Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
- Retained in Committee in the House
HB 355: relative to the membership of the solid waste working group.
- Prime Sponsor: Karen Ebel
- PASSED House and Senate, signed into law on June 10, 2025
HB 416: relative to prohibiting the intentional disposal of yard waste into the surface waters of the state.
- Prime Sponsor: Rosmarie Rung
- PASSED House and Senate, signed into law on July 15, 2025
HB 451: relative to establishing the paint product stewardship program.
- Prime Sponsor: Karen Ebel
- Passed the House, Referred to Committee in the Senate (did not pass)
HB 479: relative to establishing a committee to study the use and problems associated with regulating the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills and transfer centers.
- Prime Sponsor: Lucius Parshall
- House deemed Inexpedient to Legislate
HB 556: relative to the sale of products labeled as biodegradable or compostable.
- Prime Sponsor: Lucius Parshall
- House deemed Inexpedient to Legislate
HB 566: relative to requiring permit applications for new landfills to contain a detailed plan for leachate management.
- Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
- PASSED the House and Senate, signed into law on July 15, 2025
HB 619: relative to making an appropriation to the solid waste management fund.
- Prime Sponsor: Karen Ebel
- Retained in Committee
HB 707: relative to requiring the department of environmental services to establish a site-specific setback distance for proposed new landfills.
- Prime Sponsor: Kelley Potenza
- Passed the House, Referred to Committee in the Senate (did not pass)
HR10: relative to recognizing the fundamental right to have clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.
- Prime Sponsor: Nicholas Germana
- Passed; this is a resolution stating the position of the House of Representatives
HR13: relative to opposing the permitting of a landfill next to Forest Lake State Park in Dalton, New Hampshire.
- Prime Sponsor: Jared Sullivan
- Passed; this is a resolution stating the position of the House of Representatives
SB 226: relative to suspending applications for new landfills and establishing a committee to study the feasibility of incinerating solid waste.
- Prime Sponsor: David Rochefort
- Referred to Committee
SB 227: relative to site setbacks for landfills.
- Prime Sponsor: David Rochefort
- Pending motion to re-refer to Committee
Resources: The General Court of New Hampshire
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.
