There is a new organization in the Granite State committed to improving New Hampshire’s growing problem with solid waste: Collaborative Solid Waste Strategies.  

Collaborative Solid Waste Strategies (CSWSNH.ORG) is the product of several years of hard work on the part of Carol Foss, a long-time professional in New Hampshire’s conservation community, and Clark Corson, a life-long public relations professional, who came together in 2021 to work towards a common goal: improving New Hampshire’s approach to managing solid waste. Despite the state’s once revered reputation as a bastion of environmental awareness and natural beauty, New Hampshire has, in recent years, become a repository for much of the Northeast’s trash, which ends up in one of our six landfills. In fact, almost half of the waste in the Granite State’s landfills  is from out-of-state. 

Most New England states began enacting restrictive landfill and incineration legislation two decades ago in order to avoid the fate that New Hampshire’s leaders have inadvertently courted. While Massachusetts is banning any new landfills, and Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont are instituting stringent new solid waste mandates, the New Hampshire legislature is doing just the opposite, shooting down a host of proposed bills to address the problem, and sustaining gubernatorial vetoes of bills addressing the construction of new landfills, such as the proposed Forest Lake landfill in Dalton. 

In the meantime, issues with landfill leachate and importing solid waste will continue to make headlines until real change takes place. Foss and Corson have teamed up with local and regional experts to make a difference through Collaborative Solid Waste Strategies, which aims to lead pragmatic and comprehensive approaches to solid waste reduction and sustainable waste management in the state.  

As Corson put it, CSWS is “committed to empowering individuals and communities to make informed choices that prioritize environmental stewardship and resource conservation. Through education, advocacy, and innovative solutions, we aim to minimize waste generation, promote responsible consumption, and create a circular economy where materials are utilized efficiently, and waste is minimized. Together, we strive to build a world where every action contributes to the preservation of our planet for generations to come.”