Cindy Heath

Time and again when NH citizens call for increased attention to waste and pollution issues in New Hampshire at state legislative hearings, we hear that the Department of Environmental Services does not have the capacity to implement existing laws and rules, let alone new ones that are proposed to bring our state into modern, efficient, and cost saving waste management practices. Please support this appropriation if for no other reason than to reduce the excessive and unnecessary food waste going into our landfills and transfer station operations. This is costing towns and taxpayers unnecessary expense when there are viable solutions that are straightforward to implement with appropriate budgetary authority and direction. In my own region of the Upper Valley, the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission has been a champion of food scrap diversion efforts in several towns, successfully funding (through a USDA grant) home composting education and providing municipalities with free food scrap diversion equipment. It is a positive sign that the Solid Waste Working Committee has been bringing forward sound and non-partisan solid waste management legislation, in particular focusing on reducing harmful and toxic chemicals in the products we buy. I hope this appropriation can also be used to support further efforts to monitor and hold accountable polluting companies in our state. As a native of New Hampshire (Littleton), I care deeply about sustaining the environmental assets that make New Hampshire unique, and this includes effectively managing our waste streams and supporting the Department of Environmental Services in doing its job with appropriate budget resources.