Establishes a committee to study the use and problems associated with regulating the distribution and disposal of certain solid waste within landfills and transfer centers.
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.
Solid waste and landfills have become controversies lately, and this committee would be a good opportunity to look at policies in neighboring states as well as the recent history in NH. Furthermore, concerns about plastic pollution are growing as new scientific studies become public. Here also, this committee would be a good forum to keep the state up to date on the costs and risks of coping with the latest discoveries.
Dear Committee Members, Thank you for continuing to be curious and thoughtful about our waste stream. As we know, this can be a significant contribution to health, environmental, and economic problems in our communities. Heading towards managing our waste with zero waste and manufacturer's responsibility for reducing waste is so important, as is sorting and reusing. With appreciation, Reb MacKenzie
The language does not specify plastic bags, as this is an open-ended study committee, but this is the only bill this year providing an opportunity to discuss plastic pollution – the disposal costs for municipalities, the harm to the environment, and serious human health risks.
This is a rational response to impending problems with waste disposal. This would provide a good opportunity to study plastics pollution, which is endangering human and animal life. Please vote to pass this bill.
Solid waste disposal is a problem and this bill presents a reasonable to study the problem and find solutions that protect the environment.
If we hope to stop building landfills, we need to create less solid waste. Single use plastic bags are plentiful and unnecessary. They are also harmful in many ways -- to the air, water and land, which they pollute with emissions during production, and then their ubiquitous micro- and nano-particles penetrate after their brief useful life. They are harmful to humans, having penetrated nearly every human organ, including damaging placentas and the newly forming baby. Plastic is increasingly found in the brain, where it is linked to the rising incidence of dementia. Independent of each other, volunteer groups in various towns have spoken with grocery store leaders about halting the give-away of free plastic bags. These groups have been told it will require a law from the legislature "to even the playing field" among stores. Volunteers from across the state are now working TOGETHER to break the impasse, and "Say NO to plastic bags!" A thorough study committee can determine the best way to move forward.
Please include PLASTIC in the description of solid waste. This is a serious topic and must not be left out of the conversation.
Text of bill HB479 reads “The committee shall review past legislation on subject and may solicit information and testimony from any individual or entity with experience or expertise relevant to the study.” Solid waste is a broad topic, and could include tires, construction debris, food scraps. The language does not specify plastic bags, as this is an open-ended study committee, but this is the only bill this year providing an opportunity to discuss plastic pollution – the disposal costs for municipalities, the harm to the environment, and serious human health risks. These are serious topics that should be addressed.
Text of bill HB479 reads “The committee shall review past legislation on subject and may solicit information and testimony from any individual or entity with experience or expertise relevant to the study.” Solid waste is a broad topic, and could include tires, construction debris, food scraps. The language does not specify plastic bags, as this is an open-ended study committee, but this is the only bill this year providing an opportunity to discuss plastic pollution – the disposal costs for municipalities, the harm to the environment, and serious human health risks.
I support this bill because it will allow the government and the NH citizens to better understand the financial, ecological and health related costs associated with disposing of various types of solid waste so that we can make more informed decisions going forward.
To Whom It Concerns: I write as a member of the Jaffrey Climate Initiative (JCI) in support of HB 479. On Earth Day 2021, our committee initiated a plastic bag and film drive through the Trex community recycling program. Trex recycles plastic bags and film into decking and benches. From that date, bags and film have been collected at the Jaffrey Recycling Center and a few other sites around town. Our Town cannot handle this burden, so volunteers from JCI faithfully go to the Recycling Center every day that it is open and the other collection sites, collect the bags, and take them to the local supermarket for transfer to Trex. Since Earth Day 2021, our committee has collected over 18,000 lbs of plastic bags and film, mostly supermarket check-out bags. Given that a check-out bag weighs almost nothing, you can imagine the volume of material this represents. This is 9 tons of solid waste kept from the landfill and saving our town the cost of processing. And this is in a town of just over 5,000 people! I think it is safe to say that what we collect is a minor fraction of what’s actually consumed. Extrapolating to the state, the amount, by weight or volume, is astronomical. The 9 tons we collected is the tiniest tip of the iceberg of plastic bag and film processing and pollution in the state. It is unconscionable that community members should have to clean up the mess created by petrochemical manufacturers intent on flooding our towns, cities, and countrysides with plastic bags and film like this, that taxpayers need to foot the bill for disposal of these items that are entirely unnecessary. I have been dutifully collecting at the Jaffrey Recycling Center every Wednesday for 3 years and 9 months, as have the other volunteers on other days of the week, to make up for the scourge of plastic burdening our Town’s waste management, notwithstanding the absurdity of consuming more fossil fuels to drive the collections to the supermarket in our private cars. Last summer we had a petition campaign and in a short time, with little effort, gathered 250 signatures on a petition asking supermarkets to take leadership in reducing or eliminating plastic bags at check-out as well as 135 signatures limited to our district legislative candidates to do the same. Eliminating plastic bags has widespread support. People understand the hazard they cause. Over 30 states and U.S. territories have full or partial bans or charges levied on disposable bags by law. New York and all the New England states except New Hampshire have such restrictions. The supermarkets themselves do not seem to oppose reducing plastic bags. It would certainly save them money. The one supermarket that replied to our petition actually encouraged us to seek a resolution in our community to restrict plastic bags based on similar actions in Massachusetts, where the company is headquartered. Please support HB 479 and any other measure to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, single use plastic bags. Respectfully yours, Elizabeth Webster Jaffrey maplewatermilkmaid@gmail.com 603-532-7172
Down the road from our house is some conservation land. Just off the trail, high in the trees, are sheets of plastic that are caught in the branches of trees. How they landed there I don't know, but the trail is downwind of a transfer station. The plastic has been in the tree branches for a least three years. This bill is a way for the legislature to study the effect plastics are having on our environment, our people, and solid waste systems. Please vote yes!
The issues of single use plastic bags and solid waste in NH landfills are important to me, and to the future of my granddaughters. Please support HB479. Thank you.
We are drowning in plastic and need to get a handle on the problem
New Hampshire's natural beauty and outdoor recreation economy depend on maintaining clean waterways, forests, and wildlife habitats. Single-use plastic bags pose a significant threat to these resources, with the average New Hampshire resident using approximately 400 plastic bags annually, many of which end up polluting our environment. These bags take over 500 years to decompose, fragmenting into microplastics that contaminate our water systems and harm wildlife. Implementation of this bill would position New Hampshire as a leader in environmental stewardship while supporting our tourism industry, which generates over $5 billion annually. The transition away from single-use plastic bags represents a practical step toward preserving our state's natural resources for future generations while promoting sustainable business practices that benefit both our economy and environment.
Get rid of the plastic bags to help the customers pay less, the stores pay less, and the Earth pay less.
Poorly constructed bill missing key parameters to even be considered.
We need to take measures to curb plastics use.
We need to discuss plastic pollution!
This is a much needed step to address solid waste issues in NH. My town and other neighboring towns are struggling with waste, including plastics, in addition to funding, space and planning for the future and how to handle our waste. We need a better plan, and one that has long term vision with ways to reduce and streamline our waste by coordinating across town boundaries.
Enough plastic waste. Pass this bill thank you
Our landfills are bursting at the seams and the solutions to mitigate this issue are within our grasp, not the least being getting rid of single use plastic. The health of our state is at risk as more and more micro plastics are seeping into our waterways, our soil, our food and into our bodies. Banning plastic shopping bags in grocery and retail stores is a first step in reducing waste. This would remove tons of plastic from our landfills and minimize the health risk to humans and wildlife. Please support this bill. Your children, grandchildren, and future generations will Thank You!
This bill aligns with many strategies and actions from the 2022 NH Solid Waste Management Plan as well as the ongoing Waste Characterization Study, and a legislative goal of waste reduction (149 M:2 Solid Waste Disposal Reduction Goal to reduce disposal of common wastes by 25% by the year 2030, and by 45% by the year 2050). Please support this bill to help NH DES gather more data to explore expanded recycling and zero waste initiatives for municipalities and state agencies. Text from 2022 NH SWM Plan: GOAL 3: MAXIMIZE THE DIVERSION OF RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SOLID WASTE FROM DISPOSAL When waste is generated, it should be diverted from disposal whenever possible. Diversion involves “downstream” approaches such as recycling, composting, or other methods that avoid disposal in landfills and incinerators. Strategy - Legislation Action 2.10 – Explore legislation that would establish waste disposal bans and EPR for items such as rechargeable batteries, electronic devices, paint and sharps. Action 2.11 – Explore legislation addressing the use of toxic chemicals in products, such as use of PFAS in carpeting, clothing, upholstery and food packaging. Strategy - Incentives Action 3.9 – Explore incentives for municipalities that enact regional waste management strategies to increase diversion (such as cooperative hauling/marketing, sharing equipment, building regional facilities, forming solid waste districts per RSA 53-A12 or RSA 53-B13) as well as projects targeting diversion of specific materials/waste types (for example, developing programs for recycling polypropylene, film plastics, and diverting food waste). Strategy - Data Collection and Research Action 3.13 – Evaluate and identify waste disposal bans, mandatory recycling laws, and/or EPR programs that have potential to significantly improve diversion in New Hampshire.
Let us all say NO to plastic bags! Affordable reusable alternatives are readily available. Also stores in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts have successfully implemented plastic bag reductions mandated by law, and customers have adapted. Our tourist economy depends on natural beauty. Discarded plastic bags detract from our scenic landscapes and harm our wildlife. In fact, plastic bags are one of the top five items found in our coastal cleanups, from Hampton Beach to the Great Bay, threatening our marine ecosystems. Towns and taxpayers also save money, significantly decreasing waste management costs when single-use plastic bags are eliminated from landfills. Consider that at recycling facilities, plastic bags clog machinery. One recycling facility computed the added cost as $114,000 annually. For more details: New Hampshire grocery stores distribute millions of single-use plastic bags annually, with each bag being used for an average of only 12 minutes but persisting in our environment for up to 1,000 years. And guess what, less than 9% of all plastics get recycled. The other 91% ends up in our oceans, streams, lakes, farms, forests, landfills, and incinerators, where they break down into “microplastics.” Plastics also don’t decompose. Studies show microplastics in our lungs, liver, heart, and brain increase our chances of heart attack, stroke, or death. Scientists from the Green Mt. Conservation Group in Carroll County, NH, have discovered microplastics in well-water, backyard snow, and every river and stream sampled since 2022. Please SUPPORT this bill and let us say NO to plastics. Thank you.
While this bill does not directly address single use plastic, especially plastic bags, NH should legislate the phase-out of their use. Our convenience should not lead to a future world polluted by plastic waste. We owe those who follow us better than that.