UNH Students Change Composting Regulations in New Hampshire!!

The following is from our blog on the hearing for commercial compost here in NH. I know it is a little late notice, but hopefully, we can rally support after it passes today too! If anyone is interested in coming today, let me know! Besides all the wonderful things we know about compost, commercial composting has been proven to bring millions into a state & create jobs (Minnesota for example.) Food waste has wider effects, accounting for 29% of annual food production & costs the US about $198M/year. Lets bring jobs, biz, energy, & good soil to NH!

Hayley (EcoG & Econ UNH '13)

​Seeking Testimony and Support for NH SB 251 – Expanding NH Composting Regulations 

Over the past year, we have discovered that the State of NH has extremely outdated regulations for commercial composting facilities. These regulations make it nearly impossible for commercial facilities to obtain permits to collect and decompose meat and dairy products in their facilities. These regulations have not only hurt small businesses in the State, but they have also significantly impeded the ability for all 11 college campuses in New Hampshire to establish comprehensive campus-wide composting programs. The neighboring states of Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont have all changed their regulations in recent years to allow for commercial facilities to process these types of materials.

This issue was covered recently in NHPR: N.H. Composters Say Rule Change Could Stir Growth in Business

Over the past few months, PLAN has been working with a large group of students at UNH, including undergraduates, masters and PHd candidates, to research composting regulations in neighboring states and work with public officials to propose changes to NH’s existing regulations.

In January, 2015, NH State Senator Martha Fuller-Clark, with support from the student group at UNH and PLAN, proposed

SB 251 – relative to regulations for commercial composters - in the NH State Senate. 

We Need Your Support! Come Testify Wed. March 4th at 9am:

Public Hearing on SB 251 will be held in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday March 4th in Room 100 of the NH State House in Concord, NH.

This is a public hearing – all are welcome to come and testify!

If you plan on attending please let us know – we’d love to hear from you and we can help with carpools! If you can’t make it, but would like to submit written testimony, please contact Alex Freid at the information below.

For more information, or for any questions or comments, please contact Alex Freid, Executive Director of the Post-Landfill Action Network: 603-608-9859, alex@postlandfill.org.