NRRA Awarded USDA Grant for "Recycling with Results"
NRRA was recently awarded a Solid Waste Management Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Utilities Services. Through the grant, which will start in October 2021, NRRA will direct technical assistance to the smallest and lowest-income communities in New Hampshire, namely, those with a population under 5,500 and with a median household income less than the state non-metropolitan median household income. The grant will have two key components: a Solid Waste Advisory Team (SWAT) program and a campaign to help residents “recycle right.”
Grant Components - SWAT & Recycle Right
The SWAT program will involve teams of experienced solid waste operators who will volunteer their time to work with at least five select communities and NRRA staff to evaluate current solid waste operations and provide recommendations for reducing the solid waste stream through improved recycling operations and other practices. NRRA will also help at least two of those communities develop full cost accounting systems for their solid waste programs so those communities fully understand the revenue and costs of their programs and can make decisions accordingly.
The Recycle Right campaign will involve NRRA developing social media posts and short videos about recycling that communities can easily reshare with their residents for a four-month campaign. A dedicated email newsletter and Recycle Right section of NRRA's website will also be created. The campaign will include information about why recycling and waste reduction matters, how to recycle correctly to reduce contamination and increase the value of recyclables, and share successful recycling practices to encourage increased resident participation in recycling and waste reduction programs.
Letters of Support & Grant Benefits
Says Reagan Bissonnette, NRRA Executive Director, "We at NRRA are excited to partner with communities in NH to reduce their waste and increase community engagement through Recycling with Results. I am grateful to the individuals who wrote strong letters to the USDA in support of our proposal." Excerpts from those letters, which highlight the benefits this project will provide to New Hampshire communities, are included below.
"As Director of NHDES’ Waste Management Division, I am aware that all communities in New Hampshire, but especially the smaller, lower-income municipalities, can benefit from more technical assistance and education to reduce their solid waste stream. Unfortunately, NHDES does not currently have the resources necessary to provide that education and assistance. NRRA has the expertise and a proven track record of providing this kind of outreach to communities. Their selection for this grant will position them well to provide valuable, proactive technical assistance and education through Recycling with Results." - Michael Wimsatt, Director, Waste Management Division at the NH Department of Environmental Services
"The Solid Waste Advisory Team program (SWAT), in which I have participated in the past both with the NRRA and on my own time, is one of the most important programs in my opinion. It will help communities to reduce the solid waste stream, improve recycling rates, and help reduce expenses through multiple ways. Peer support that provides practical and actionable on-site technical assistance is the key fundamental and most helpful area under the SWAT program. The recommendations that come from this program does improve the solid waste planning and management. I can not stress enough in the importance of this program. I have seen this first hand." - Brian Patnoe, Manager (former), Town of Littleton, NH Transfer Station
"As the chair of the HB 617 Committee to Study Recycling Streams and Solid Waste Management in New Hampshire, which issued a final report to the Governor of New Hampshire in November 2019, I became aware that municipalities in New Hampshire rely heavily on NRRA’s efforts to make recycling financially sustainable. Our report found that municipalities in New Hampshire need more assistance with managing their solid waste and recycling programs. Our report also found that municipalities and residents would benefit from standardization of recycling messaging, which could help increase recycling. This is exactly the type of technical assistance NRRA proposes to provide through Recycling with Results." - Rep. Karen Ebel, Democratic Leader Pro Tempore, NH House of Representatives
This material is based upon work supported under a grant by the Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Rural Utilities Service. Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc., is an equal opportunity provider and employer.