Hooksett Recycling and Transfer Advisory Committee Meeting - July 28, 2026

The Hooksett Recycling and Transfer Advisory Committee met on July 28, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Members present included Mr. Turk, Richard Barron, John Giotis, Ray Barney, Sean Dumont, and Jeff Nyan. After the Pledge of Allegiance, the committee approved the minutes of the March 31, 2026 meeting, then heard Sean Dumont's transfer-station report covering disposal costs, state reimbursements, recycling markets, new staff, and the proposed scale house. No public comments were offered.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the March 31, 2026 meeting minutes by unanimous voice vote.

Recycling and Transfer Station Report

• Disposal costs: As of July 1, 2026, trash disposal is $103 per ton. Demolition/environmental disposal at Resource is $126 per ton plus environmental and fuel surcharges totaling roughly 12%, about $15 more per ton. Waste Management has a $4.75 surcharge and is farther away (44 miles vs. 22 miles to Resource), but would be slightly cheaper; Dumont plans to keep trying to negotiate a lower price with Resource.
• State reimbursement: Dumont filed the first reimbursement claim after a runaround; the state required both original invoices and canceled checks as proof of payment. He estimated the reimbursement total at around $17,000 and has second-quarter numbers ready, but cannot submit until September 17 because of the 90-day waiting period after the quarter closes. First-quarter inbound tonnage was roughly 960 tons.
• Batteries: A five-gallon bucket of taped batteries melted and charred inside the recycle building, prompting a new green battery barn for storage. Batteries are taped individually; button cells are made into tape ravioli to keep them from touching. More than 80% of batteries dropped off are alkaline and can be thrown in the trash.
• Electronics/other recyclables: North Coast's prices vary by weight, e.g., flat panels 20 cents/lb and CPUs/servers/laptops 18 cents/lb; fluorescent bulbs are 28 cents (4-foot) and 56 cents (8-foot). The facility started recycling inkjet cartridges; the first shipment of about 60 cartridges went out, with XL HP/Canon cartridges paying almost $3 each.
• Markets: Cardboard is back up to $50 per ton from $40 per ton, and a check was received. Glass remains $50 per ton with GTS. Windfield pays $145 per ton with no freight fee and has faster turnaround. A tractor-trailer load of plastic recently brought only about $80; New Hampshire Recycle has warned that some plastic loads now go out as a cost, with a possible $300 pickup charge, though Dumont noted it may still be cheaper than paying $103 per ton for disposal.
• Second-quarter revenue nearly doubled from the first quarter, though tonnage did not quite double. The facility is doing well on concrete after adjusting its price. Radius continues taking copper, steel brake rotors, and aluminum; light iron goes to Windfield.
• Staffing: New administrative assistant Carrie started Monday and is described as bubbly and friendly; new heavy-equipment operator Peter Dabinsky needed only two days of training. The crew is fully staffed, and a part-time position appears frozen.

Scale House Project

• The committee has not given up on the scale house. Public Works Director Ben will contact contractors for realistic bids; last year's estimate was around $600,000, while false Facebook information cited $1.3 million. The building cost about $80,000 to design, and changing the design could require paying again. Dumont hopes to do public outreach videos to explain the need, noting the current building is crowded when the full staff is present.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimously approved the March 31, 2026 minutes.
• Formal votes were limited to minutes approval and adjournment; no votes were taken on transfer-station pricing or the scale house.
• Next steps include negotiating with Resource, submitting the second-quarter reimbursement claim on September 17, and obtaining scale-house bids through the Public Works director.
• The committee voted to adjourn.