New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group

The New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group is a statutory committee formed in 2021 under RSA 149-M:61 to assist the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services with planning and policy initiatives related to solid waste management. Established for a period of five years (until November 1, 2026), the Working Group is comprised of members representing various public and private entities involved with solid waste management.

Working Group Members

As outlined in RSA 149-M:61, the Solid Waste Working Group is charged with the following tasks:

• Assist the department in long-range planning for and the development of creative, effective solutions to the state’s solid waste management challenges.
• Review and make recommendations for changes to the state’s existing solid waste reduction, recycling, and management policies, programs, goals, and initiatives.
• Review and make recommendations regarding the impact of regional solid waste management initiatives, including landfill waste disposal bans, on our state and our solid waste disposal landfill capacity.
• Advise the department in the development of the solid waste management plan required by RSA 149-M:29.
• Review and recommend methods to better provide technical assistance and educational outreach to municipalities, schools, businesses, and the public regarding solid waste reduction, recycling, and management policies.
• Review and recommend ways to better implement the solid waste hierarchy under RSA 149-M:3, and solid waste reduction goals under RSA 149-M:2.
• Review and make recommendations based on the 2019, 265 (HB 617) study committee report on recycling and solid waste management in New Hampshire.
• Review such other matters as the working group deems necessary and to recommend any related legislation, policy, or rule changes.
• Review and make recommendations regarding municipal solid waste plans and implementing the prohibition of any landfill in the state from accepting waste from a municipality that does not have a solid waste management plan.
• Review and make recommendations regarding the development of a solid waste disposal site evaluation committee or better defining alternative site analysis in RSA 149-M:9.

Meetings of the Solid Waste Working Group

See the meetings by date listed below. Meeting agendas, minutes, recordings and presentations are available by clicking on the date of the meeting in question. For upcoming meetings, you can also click on the date to find the registration link for the meeting's remote option. If you need help accessing any of these files, please contact solidwasteinfo@des.nh.gov.