Section 149-M:2 Waste Reduction Goal. - New Hampshire Statutes

   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.

Source. 1996, 251:2. 251:27; 261:2. 1999, 43:1, eff. July 20, 1999.