43rd Annual Meeting Recap
NRRA staff, Board of Trustees, and voting municipal members gathered on Wednesday, November 13th in the freshly painted NRRA offices to celebrate this year's NRRA award winners, hear from a fantastic "Facility Safety" panel, and vote on the new Board of Trustees slate.
NRRA Board President, Joan Cudworth, and Board Treasurer, Mark Richardson, shared organizational and financial updates with attendees.
NRRA continues to operate at a high level, thanks to the supportive board and dedicated staff.
Over the year, the board held 6 meetings of the full board and several working group meetings focused on capital improvement and salary and benefits, as well as serving on the conference planning committee. In addition, we have board members serving important roles throughout New Hampshire, including on the Solid Waste Working Group (SWWG), the NH Waste Management Council, and testifying in front of the State legislature on important topics such as the negative impact of lithium-ion batteries on transfer stations.
NRRA Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, opened the meeting reflecting on the key investments NRRA has made over the past year to our programs and organizations to make sure we can serve our members for another 43+ years.
We have expanded co-op marketing programs and technical assistance, adding new co-op vendors that handle electronics, freon, bulbs & ballasts, and scrap metal. At the same time, we have increased in-person site visits to communities to help evaluate the cost-effectiveness of programs. These visits can have an important impact, like the visit to Franconia that prompted the town to invest in a horizontal baler. The time saved with the new, larger, and more efficient baler meant that the town was then able to open the transfer station for an additional day for the public!
This year has also seen an increase in organizational capacity. Much of the expanded support noted has been free to all members thanks to successfully applying for and being awarded federal grants through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Though the grants focus on small, rural New Hampshire communities, the resources, education, and technical assistance is offered to all NRRA members.
Enhanced Education for Members & the Public
This past year has seen an impactful increase in education and resources for members and the public. In April, NRRA partnered with NHDES to bring a 4-workshop series focused on composting and food waste diversion. After attending the workshop series, NRRA member town of Lee, NH started their own on-site composting, instead of sending all food scraps through a commercial composter, saving the town money. NRRA member operators were able to see many of the composting ideas in action this fall while attending the Composting Bus Tour that visited 3 member communities each with a different example of how composting and food waste diversion can look in different towns.
Following the composting workshops, NRRA completed a new compost map that allows users to see what composting or food waste diversion options are available in their area. It also further breaks down diversion into Granite State farms that offer on-site composting, commercial composters who offer pick-up services, and municipalities that have composting or food waste diversion either at their transfer station or within their town. Additionally, NRRA's Member Services Director completed the Maine Compost School program in June to be able to provide the most up-to-date technical assistance to member communities interested in composting.
We continued our work with North Country communities focusing on construction and demolition debris (C&D) recycling and reuse, building out a C&D Toolkit that includes resources such as North Country Reuse & Donation printable flyer and information on deconstruction for businesses and contractors. Through the North Country work, the member town of Littleton, NH began a pilot program (that they have decided to continue) and diverted over 6,500 pounds of C&D and bulky waste in the first month alone!
NRRA also partnered with New Hampshire the Beautiful (NHtB) to update all of the recycling facility signs NHtB offers to NH municipalities each year for free. The new signs have more images and less words. The images are also echoed on the customized handouts and postcards NRRA offers to all members.
In addition to the updated NHtB signs, we also created a sign library on the NRRA website for additional signs that facilities may find helpful - everything from scrap metal reminders to instructions to AirBNB visitors! The signs are free to download and print.
Finally, NRRA has continued to engage in policy and regional discussions through the New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group, partnering with NHDES to help plan for NH's solid waste future.
Facility Safety Panel
Annual meeting attendees were glad to hear from a panel of experts discussing facility safety - an issue operators consider every day! We were joined by Chair of the Solid Waste Working Group, Representative Karen Ebel; Moultonborough Transfer Station Supervisor, Ken Filpula; and Littleton Transfer Station Manager, Steve Bean. The panel was moderated by NRRA Member Services Director, Brian Patnoe.
The panelists shared the safety-related issues they've faced in their roles, including fires, slips and falls of staff and customers, power outages, extreme weather, and PFAS concerns. Each panelist also shared proactive solutions at the large and small scale, including improved security cameras, on-hand battery containment kits for swollen or leaking batteries (which are at risk of fire or explosion), staff rotations, and updated facility infrastructure to help with extreme heat or cold. Representative Ebel shared legislative updates regarding lithium-ion batteries and PFAS, as well as what the coming legislative session may hold.
Awards & Recognition
One of the most fun parts of the Annual Meeting is the awards portion and this year was no different. We honored Liz Bedard - a founding member of NRRA and one of the original charter signers - with an Honorary Lifetime Membership. Liz has dedicated her career to recycling and has been a pioneer in the field working at the Governor's Recycling Office in New Hampshire, as well as with the Association of Plastic Recyclers and The Recycling Partnership. She was also NRRA's Senior Member Services Representative, Bonnie Bethune's mentor at UNH, influencing Bonnie's career path in the following decades.
NRRA's Continuing Education Award went to Susanne Simon, who serves as the Thetford, VT Transfer Station Coordinator. She earned over 20 hours of continuing education credits through NRRA this year, attending MOM meetings, composting workshops, and the Recycling Conference & Expo. Susanne's passion for the industry is clear - she routinely asks great questions and goes above and beyond to learn more about the recycling field, which ultimately benefits her community.
NRRA's Business of the Year was awarded to Environmental Projects, Inc (EPI) and was accepted by EPI's Vice President, Brett Rogers.
This award is given to a business that has demonstrated a high excellence in service to NRRA's municipal members.
NRRA has worked with EPI since 2014, holding many Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events for NRRA members each year, in addition to individual pick-ups for waste oil, paint, etc. EPI consistently receives praise from NRRA members and staff for their helpful and friendly services.
NRRA's Rookie of the Year was awarded to Alex DeCoste, Transfer Station Foreman for Gilmanton, NH.
This award is given to an innovative solid waste operator who is new to their position.
Alex joined the Gilmanton Transfer Station staff with no prior experience in solid waste management, but quickly rose to the challenge learning and growing on the job. Prior to Alex, due to staff turnover and other reasons, Gilmanton had to temporarily shut down their recycling programs. Alex's first goal was to get the programs back up and running! He has been in contact with NRRA staff frequently with questions and ideas for improving operations and had a site visit from our Member Services Director in February 2024. Alex consistently thinks outside the box and along with successfully getting their facility back up and running, has implemented new programs - such as the separation of metal - to further increase revenue from recyclables. We are excited to see what Alex accomplishes in years to come!
NRRA's Recycler of the Year was awarded to Steve Bean, Transfer Station Manager for Littleton, NH.
This is a lifetime achievement award given to an individual who best combines the qualities of commitment, leadership, and enthusiasm in developing and sustaining an environmentally and financially sound solid waste management program.
Steve joined the Littleton Transfer Station in 2014, becoming only the 4th manager since the facility opened in the early 1990's. Prior to his work in Littleton, Steve served in the US Marines - including overseas - and worked in a North Country paper mill helping make the paper that later in his career he would be in charge of recycling. As a manager, Steve already wears many hats as he's in charge of hiring and supervising staff, preparing and presenting the budget, overseeing day-to-day operations, remaining compliant with DES, and much more. But Steve is never one to be out worked. He has taken additional time to present in schools about recycling and is an active member of the NRRA Board, attending just about every event NRRA puts on (and usually is able to bring his guys along with him).
NRRA was proud to present Steve with an honor that reflects his dedication and work!
And in a fun, final update at the Annual Meeting, NRRA Executive Director Reagan Bissonnette announced that Steve will be joining NRRA in mid-December as our new Municipal Recycling Advisor!
More details about Steve's new work at NRRA will be shared in the coming weeks, but Annual Meeting attendees honored Steve with a large round of applause on both his award and the announcement of his new role!
Though the Annual Meeting was not available to livestream, it was recorded and can be viewed below or on our YouTube channel.