NEW HAMPSHIRE – Just Zero welcomes the signing of New Hampshire House Bill 707, which improves the state’s process for siting and approving landfills – ensuring communities have a stronger voice in decisions that affect their health, environment, and quality of life.
The new law creates a Solid Waste Site Evaluation Committee and requires the state to consider a broader range of factors when reviewing proposed landfill permits. The legislation follows years of advocacy by New Hampshire residents and organizations working to protect Forest Lake State Park and surrounding communities from a proposed landfill in Dalton.
“This law is a hard-earned victory for New Hampshire communities and a powerful reminder that people deserve a real voice in decisions that affect their health, environment, and economy,” said Peter Blair, Policy and Advocacy Director at Just Zero. “This is one important piece of the puzzle. But New Hampshire cannot solve its waste problem by strengthening permitting requirements for new landfills. State leaders must build on this momentum by advancing policies that reduce waste, expand reuse and recycling, and hold producers accountable for the waste they create. The best way to reduce pressure for new landfills is to generate less waste in the first place.”
Just Zero has long supported policies that strengthen oversight of waste facilities while advancing solutions that reduce the need for disposal. The organization congratulates the many community members, advocates, and organizations whose years of work helped make this legislation possible and looks forward to supporting New Hampshire's continued progress toward a more sustainable future with less waste.
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