News
Refillery – NH’s first zero-waste grocery store
(By Maureen Milliken, Manchester Ink Link, August 4, 2023) Manchester area residents will get a chance to check out the area’s first zero-waste grocery store, if they already haven’t, when Live Free Refillery holds a grand opening Thursday… Owner Juliette Buell, with 15 years of experience in agriculture, created Live Free Refillery to share her passion for food and the environment with the community. To eliminate single-use plastic packaging, everything at the store is in reusable, recyclable or biodegradable packaging…
Lebanon Landfill Continues to Innovate
New Hampshire’s municipal landfill in Lebanon continues to innovate with more waste diversion programs by accepting plastic grocery bags for recycling with Virginia-based partner, Trex.
Statewide Networking at the Keep NH Green Environmental Summit in Laconia
(By Arnie Alpert, InDepthNH.org August 12, 2023) “I’m from Cornish Flat, New Hampshire, near Claremont and Lebanon, and my environmental concern is single use plastic waste and pollution in our state.” So began the introductions at the Keep New Hampshire Green Environmental Summit Saturday morning and on they went for most of an hour….By the time the 66th person introduced herself (a recently retired EPA employee who said she’s been involved in environmental campaigns since she was 6 years old), the summit was already a success.
Mount Carberry Landfill Expansion Praised
(By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, InDepthNH.org December 16, 2021) A public hearing on the proposed expansion of the Mount Carberry landfill in the town of Success brought only one comment, and that was largely in praise of the operation.Adam Finkel of Dalton, a professor of Environmental Health Science at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, commented, “Just this one expansion alone, I think, would be ample to reduce any possible shortfall [in solid waste capacity] out into the 2030s and 2040s … and it would continue, I think, to be a great resource for the towns of the North Country.”
DES Faces Skepticism Over Transparency in Landfill Regulations
(quoted from the Concord Monitor) The NH Legislature has for several years been debating and voting on a number of bills to update the state’s rules for siting landfills. These rules, administered by NH’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), are a hot mess. They were written not by DES but largely by and for the solid waste industry 30 years ago, with virtually no changes since…The state is witnessing a grassroots movement as more and more individuals are actively engaging in environmental issues that were previously seen as beyond their concerns.
Hooksett Company Making a Difference in Textile Recycling
Hadley Barndollar reports in the New Hampshire Bulletin that Apparel Impact in Hooksett, NH, diverted 10 million pounds of textiles from the wastestream.
It’s not all about big business – op ed
The NH Legislature has for several years been debating and voting on a number of bills to update the state’s rules for siting landfills. These rules, administered by NH’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), are a hot mess. They were written not by DES but largely by and for the solid waste industry 30 years ago, with virtually no changes since…
EPA composting toolkit
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed a toolkit to help municipalities, states, tribes, and non-governmental organizations promote composting of food waste.
NH House Kills Last Surviving Bill to Address Landfill Siting
After a Committee of Conference resolved differences between House and Senate versions of HB61, the NH House voted 134 to 238 against concurrence with the compromise version.
If New York City can do it…
A successful pilot program for curbside collection of organic wastes in Queens will be expanded to the entirety of New York City after City Council passes Zero Waste Act.
EPA reassessing emissions rules for “chemical recycling” of plastics
A 2020 EPA proposal would have exempted key processes for recycling plastics from the monitoring and emissions requirements applied to solid waste incinerators.
Connecticut’s ambitious waste management bill ready for Governor’s signature after multiple amendments
Amendments to Connecticut’s HB6664 eliminated provisions for extended producer responsibility for packaging and municipal food scrap collection.
Plastics Reduction Act among multitude of Massachusetts bills addressing plastic waste in current biennium
A recent forum in Boston featured a comprehensive bill that combines provisions in a number of the many stand-alone bills proposed to address various aspects of plastic waste.
Will York Pennsylvania be the first American city to be free of plastic waste?
York, PA is partnering with a local company to eliminate the city’s plastic waste.
Model executive order on municipal food waste reduction now available
The Environmental Law Institute and Natural Resources Defense Council have developed a model Executive Order on Municipal Leadership on Food Waste Reduction to help cities lead by example in efforts to reduce the amount of food waste disposed of in landfills.
Vermont’s Bottle Bill update on hold
The Vermont Legislature adjourned without holding a concurrence vote on amendments to a bill updating the State’s 1972 Bottle Bill.
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