Revision: March 12, 2020, 5:41 p.m.
SB 591 - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/12/2020 1039s
2020 SESSION
20-3058
08/10
SENATE BILL 591
AN ACT establishing a statewide solid waste disposal reduction goal.
SPONSORS: Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Dietsch, Dist 9; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11; Sen. Hennessey, Dist 5; Sen. Morgan, Dist 23; Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Levesque, Dist 12; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Rep. Ebel, Merr. 5; Rep. M. Murray, Hills. 22; Rep. O'Connor, Rock. 6; Rep. Wolf, Merr. 5
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a statewide solid waste disposal reduction goal.
This bill also revises requirements relative to the state solid waste plan.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/12/2020 1039s 20-3058
08/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty
AN ACT establishing a statewide solid waste disposal reduction goal.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Solid Waste Disposal Reduction Goal. Amend RSA 149-M:2 to read as follows:
149-M:2 Solid Waste Disposal Reduction Goal.
I. The general court declares its concern that there are environmental and economic issues pertaining to the disposal of solid waste in landfills and incinerators. It is important to reserve landfill and incinerator capacity for solid wastes which cannot be reduced, reused, recycled or composted. [The general court declares that the goal of the state, by the year 2000, is to achieve a 40 percent minimum weight diversion of solid waste landfilled or incinerated on a per capita basis. Diversion shall be measured with respect to changes in waste generated and subsequently landfilled or incinerated in New Hampshire. The goal of weight diversion may be achieved through source reduction, recycling, reuse, and composting, or any combination of such methods.] The general court discourages the disposal of recyclable materials in landfills or processing of recyclable materials in incinerators.
II. [In exercising any and all powers conferred upon the department under this chapter, the department shall use and consider criteria relevant to the waste reduction goal and disposal hierarchy established in RSA 149-M:2 and 149-M:3. The department shall not take any action relative to the 40 percent weight reduction goal which causes the municipalities organized under RSA 53-A and 1986, 139 or RSA 53-B to violate or incur penalties under legal obligations existing on June 26, 1990.] The general court further declares a goal to reduce the quantity by weight of solid waste disposed in landfills and incinerators by 25 percent by the year 2030, and by 45 percent by the year 2050. For the purposes of this goal, disposal reduction targets shall apply, on a combined basis, to disposal of municipal solid waste and construction and demolition debris, and shall be measured against baseline quantities of these wastes disposed of in the year 2018. For the purposes of this goal only, municipal solid waste means solid waste generated at residences, commercial or industrial establishments, and institutions, but excludes automobile scrap and other motor vehicle waste, infectious waste, asbestos waste, contaminated soil and other absorbent media, sludge, industrial process waste, and ash other than ash from household stoves. Disposal reduction may be achieved through source reduction as well as diversion including but not limited to reuse, recycling, and composting.
III. In exercising any and all powers conferred upon the department under this chapter, the department shall use and consider criteria relevant to the disposal reduction goal and solid waste management hierarchy established in this section and RSA 149-M:3. The department shall not take any action relative to the reduction goal which causes the municipalities organized under RSA 53-A and 1986, 139 or RSA 53-B to violate or incur penalties under legal obligations existing on June 26, 1990.
2 State Solid Waste Disposal Reduction Goal. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 149-M:29, II to read as follows:
II. [At least every] Beginning October 1, 2022 [of every odd-numbered] and every even-numbered year thereafter, the department shall prepare a report on the level of achievement in reaching the [40 percent diversion] goal established in RSA 149-M:2 and on proposed strategies for achieving the goal and any proposed changes to the goal. The report shall contain information regarding:
3 State Solid Waste Plan. Amend RSA 149-M:29, I to read as follows:
I. Beginning October 1, [1998] 2021, and every [6] 10 years thereafter, the department shall update the state's solid waste plan, which shall contain, at minimum, the following elements:
(a) Goals and strategies for solid waste management in New Hampshire that are consistent with the provisions of this chapter.
(b) Discussion of opportunities to reduce solid waste generation through source reduction and increase diversion through methods such as recycling and composting.
(c) Discussion of actions necessary to maintain adequate capacity for management of solid waste generated in New Hampshire.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.