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At NRRA’s Annual Meeting in November 2024, Brian Patnoe, NRRA Member Services Director, shared several graphs to demonstrate trends in market pricing for paper and cardboard, plastics, and metals over the past year, with some comparisons going back as far as a decade. A picture is worth a thousand words, and these pricing charts show that despite some recent dips in market pricing, overall recycling commodity markets are either similar to or higher than a year ago.
Some of the key highlights include the following:Fibers (paper & cardboard) : Cardboard maintained its pricing over the year and paper saw an increase. Both cardboard and paper were either the same or just slightly lower than their prices...Read more
Steve starting his working career as a helicopter mechanic in the Marines serving both stateside and Okinawa Japan. He then worked 19 years in a paper mill serving in many capacities.
Prior to joining the NRRA, Steve worked at the Littleton Transfer Station since 2014. He worked his way to Lead Attendant in 2017 and then became manager in February of 2021. He was awarded the NRRA Rookie of the Year in 2021 and was awarded Recycler of the Year in 2024.
In his spare time Steve enjoys riding his Harley, fishing, hiking, and walking his 2 dogs Sammie and Luna. He resides in Bethlehem NH with his wife Pamela. The Municipal Recycling Advisor (previously...Read more
In the late 1970s at the University of New Hampshire, my work study job was at the Durham Recycling Center where I discovered my passion for recycling. The manager took me aside one day and said that I should help municipalities with recycling as that is where the greatest need was. I took that advice completely to heart. After college, I managed the Wilton New Hampshire Solid Waste District facility which housed a...Read more
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...Read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Epsom, NH: The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), is pleased to announce the 2024 Recycling Award winners: Steve Bean, Recycler of the Year; Alex DeCoste, Rookie of the Year; Environmental Projects Inc. (EPI), Vendor of the Year; Susanne Simon, Continuing Education Award; and Liz Bedard, Honorary Lifetime Member. Awardees will be celebrated at the upcoming NRRA Annual Meeting on November 13th.
Steve Bean, Transfer Station Manager for the Town of Littleton, NH received the highest award as Recycler of the Year. This lifetime achievement honors those who best combine the qualities of commitment, leadership, and enthusiasm in developing and sustaining an environmentally and financially sound solid waste management program. Steve has shown his commitment to recycling and waste diversion, especially in New Hampshire’s North Country, working closely with NRRA to implement diversion programs in Littleton and support smaller, neighboring towns in their waste...Read more
For the past couple of years, NRRA has been working through two back-to-back EPA Healthy Communities grants to raise the importance of and tackle the problem of construction and demolition debris (C&D) in the North Country of New Hampshire. According to the most recent EPA data, there was twice as much C&D generated than municipal solid waste (MSW)! However, rural communities like those found in the North Country, tend to not generate enough recycled material to make it worthwhile to transport those materials long distances to manufacturers who could reuse or recycle the material. Because it is so costly to bring heavy C&D so far, nearly all the estimated C&D generated by Coös County communities is landfilled .
But there is also a financial cost to landfilling this material. In 2021, the North Country landfilled 4,500 tons of C&D. Assuming an average cost of $85 per ton to...Read more
The Pivot celebrated TRP’s first ten years and brought together communities and states managing recycling programs, consumer brand companies that design products and packaging, and other organizations - like the Northeast Resource Recovery Association - that are committed to building a better recycling system.
One of Reagan's primary goals while attending The Pivot was to share with attendees the unique challenges and opportunities faced by small, rural communities like NRRA’s members.The Pivot was not a conference; rather it was an opportunity for innovators, leaders, and connectors across the recycling supply chain to engage in conversation and discuss opportunities for greater investment, harmonized state and national policy changes, and increased consumer engagement to ensure that everyone who wants to recycle, can...Read more
In September, NRRA's Executive Director, Reagan Bissonnette, and Education & Grants Manager, Andrea Folsom, had the opportunity to join representatives from the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and visit the Bow Recycling Center where MSW Consultants , the company that is gathering data for the New Hampshire Waste Characterization Study, were performing a second round of sampling.
The Waste Characterization Study is the first of its kind in the state. Once complete, NHDES, legislators, municipalities, and residents will have a better understanding of what, exactly, is ending up in NH landfills and the waste-to-energy plant. This increased understanding will help organizations like NRRA - as well as the State - better tailor outreach and education to help increase reduction, reuse, and diversion efforts. The Solid Waste Working Group will also be looking at the results to make...Read more
On September 25th, nearly 40 NRRA Member Solid Waste Facility Operators, along with some NRRA staff, headed out on the Annual Fall Bus Tour, this time focused solely on composting in the Granite State. The tour began with a visit to the composting operation at WorkSong Fam in Hopkinton, NH, where residents can bring their food scraps free of charge to be composted and used on site. We then continued to New London, where they ran a successful pilot program and now collect food waste at their municipal transfer station and send it through Renewal Compost - a commercial composter. Finally, the tour ended in Lebanon, where food scraps are accepted at their large facility, processed onsite, and then the compost created used on the limited service landfill and soon by the town.
In a follow up survey, it's clear the bus tour was a success! One operator...Read more
Welcome to the 43rd NRRA Annual Meeting!
All NRRA Members are cordially invited to join the trustees and staff of NRRA for the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 13th from 9am - 11am at the NRRA Offices.
Following the Annual Meeting there will be a closed meeting of the NRRA Board of Trustees and NRRA Staff from 11:30am-1:00pm.
This important event allows us time to reflect on the past year - hearing from our Board President and Treasurer on the status of the organization. We will then have the opportunity to enjoy a panel discussion focused on transfer station safety with local experts. Finally, we will celebrate this year's award winners, including Business, Rookie, and Recycler of the year, as well as the Continuing Education Award.
Because we are hosting the Annual Meeting at our office, there is NO COST for this event!...Read more