Kudos to the Concord Monitor for launching the Environmental Reporting Lab and selecting the solid waste dilemma in the Live Free or Die State for the inaugural topic. And kudos to Sruthi Gopalakrishnan of the Monitor staff for an accurate overview which should motivate Granite Staters to wake-up and address the urgency created by out-of-state trash filling our landfills. This new series contributes to New Hampshire’s environmental literacy while exposing the state’s failure to adopt restrictive legislation against indiscriminate dumping of other states’ trash. The Old Man of the Mountain must be rolling over in disgust that our state has fallen into this abyss caused by careless disregard and apathy.

While Vermont and Maine successfully legislate against uncontrolled invasion of their landfills, New Hampshire’s legislature continues to sleep at the switch. Why is this? What our state deserves is a genuinely pro-environment governor and enlightened legislature to jumpstart the overdue process of dealing responsibly and aggressively with long term solid waste challenges. Here at Collaborative Solid Waste Strategies, we will keep you posted on pertinent developments in New Hampshire and the region regarding trash. We’re committed to advocate for efficient, socially equitable, economically and environmentally sustainable, regionalized approaches to solid waste management. Wake up, New Hampshire Legislature, and take control of the situation in 2023, not later. Please, no more putting off to tomorrow what should have been dealt with yesterday.

Clark Corson

Penacook

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