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 statewide infrastructure and said grant support could help create more composting and digestion capacity.

Committee testimony and details Representative Ebel told the panel that the legislature previously supported $2 million for the fund but the enacted amount is $1 million and that the program is structured as a matching grant for towns and small businesses. She said the state adopted new waste‑diversion goals and a new solid waste management plan after a long hiatus, and that the legislative goal is to reduce landfill disposal by 25% by 2030 and 45% by 2050.

Representative Ebel said New Hampshire receives roughly 1,923,000 tons of waste annually; about 1,100,000 tons are generated in‑state and roughly 825,000 tons are brought in from out of state. She noted the economic incentive to preserve landfill capacity and cited public concerns about siting new facilities.

Brody Deshaies, representing the New Hampshire Municipal Association, told the committee: "The goal of this bill is to help municipalities fund the support and the initiatives for local programs that will promote sustainable, efficient, and affordable, food and other organic waste disposal." Deshaies said municipalities view the fund as "priming the pump" to save long‑term disposal costs that would otherwise be borne by property taxpayers.

Reagan Bissonnette, executive director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association, said her nonprofit represents about 90% of New Hampshire communities and that about two dozen municipalities currently offer alternative food‑waste options. "There is a real opportunity to increase business opportunities for farms or other private businesses that would like to help communities reduce their food waste," she said.

Mike Wimsatt, director of the Waste Management Division at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, said the agency has not taken a position on the bill but is working on rulemaking to launch the grant program. "We're working in earnest on rulemaking to establish a grant program for the solid waste management fund," Wimsatt said. He told the committee DES expects municipalities and private composters, and possibly anaerobic digester operators, to apply for matching grants once rules are final.

Numbers and examples cited in testimony include: - Requested appropriation: $1,000,000 (House had supported $2,000,000 earlier in the process). - Current balance in the fund: about $900,000 (testimony indicated some funds were used to defray staff costs). - Statewide tonnage (2022 biannual report): 1,923,000 total tons; ~1,100,000 in‑state; ~825,000 out‑of‑state. - New London pilot: 72 participating households diverted about 32 tons of food waste in 2024, the sponsor said. - Disposal price comparisons cited: New Hampshire reporting $60–$80 per ton vs. $100–$122 per ton in nearby states; witness testimony noted other states assess a per‑ton surcharge to fund recycling programs (examples cited: Iowa $4.25/ton, Ohio $4.75/ton, Vermont ~$6/ton). - Permitted facilities: testimony said there are 10 operating permitted composting facilities in the state.

Questions and next steps Committee members asked about alternative revenue mechanisms (a tipping‑fee surcharge was discussed), the timing of DES rulemaking, and how far the $1 million might go given the likely range of grant requests. DES said it expects to complete rulemaking in the coming months and to advertise and solicit grant applications by year‑end, subject to staffing and rulemaking timelines.

The hearing on House Bill 619 was closed and the bill was referred to Division 1 for further work and possible executive session. Committee staff noted a written record of public input: 49 individuals registered support, 3 opposed and 1 neutral on the remote testimony sheet for HB619.

Ending Committee members and witnesses agreed there is local interest in expanded composting and diversion programs. No vote on final passage occurred at the hearing; the bill will continue through the committee process with Division 1 staff and DES rulemaking expected to determine when grants can be awarded.