Finance committee hears $1 million request to expand solid‑waste grants and food‑waste diversion

At a New Hampshire House Finance Committee hearing, Representative Karen Ebel, sponsor of House Bill 619 and chair of the Solid Waste Working Group, asked the committee to appropriate $1 million to the Solid Waste Management Fund to finance a matching‑grant program for municipalities and businesses to expand recycling and food‑waste diversion.

The bill would restore part of an earlier proposal that the House had recommended for $2 million but that was cut to $1 million in the enacted budget. Representative Ebel said the program was intended to jump‑start local composting, anaerobic digestion and other projects; she said the last budget revision requires that 50% of the appropriation be prioritized for food‑waste diversion.

Representative Ebel, sponsor and chair of the state Solid Waste Working Group, said: "This bill supports the appropriation of a million dollars into the Solid Waste Management Fund." She told committee members that municipalities are struggling with waste costs and that food waste accounts for a large share of what goes to landfills.

Why it matters: state and agency witnesses said food waste is a large component of municipal trash by weight and that diverting it can reduce landfill pressure, reduce methane generation and lower municipal disposal bills. The Department of Environmental Services and stakeholder groups described limited…