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Attendees approved the agenda and minutes with two corrections. A vote on the IWMAC Charge was delayed to the next Town Council meeting due to lack of quorum. Susan is composing a letter to Hannaford regarding single-use plastics and will monitor a potential state bill banning plastic bags. Susans compiling a list of waste reduction activities for the Town Council. The committee discussed prioritizing plastic reduction education, noting only 5-10% of plastic is recycled, and potentially setting up a booth near Hannaford. Janet will contact Casella to schedule a composting facility field trip. Five UNH students are researching plastic use at local coffee shops and will attend the October 7 meeting. Naomi will follow up with Steve Lutterman about calendar training. The next meeting is scheduled for October 7. Source: https://www.durhamnh.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09162026-407
IWMAC Meeting Minutes – DRAFT Durham Town Hall, Upstairs Confrence Room September 16, 2026 In attendance: Susan Richman, Nell Neal, Janet Perkins, Peter Yost, Naomi Kornhauser, and Paul Rasmussen. Meeting called to order at 8:02. Agenda approved; Minutes approved with 2 corrections. Updates: DPW and Town Council representatives absent. Planning Board Update by Paul. PB is working on 121 Technology Drive and Smith Park Lane subdivision. Nothing currently pertinent to IWMAC. IWMAC Charge. Vote delayed until next Town Council meeting due to lack of quorum. Dunkin'/Hannaford/Single use plastics. • Susan still has had no response from Dunkin’. • Susan thinks it would be more useful to focus on Hannaford and is composing letter to Hannaford. Raquel Coon (sp?) is new manager. • There is a chance that a bill banning plastic bags will be filed in Concord in this coming legislative session. Susan will keep us informed. What have we done to reduce waste in past year? Susan is composing list for Town Council (listed not necessarily in order of importance): • DYK?s • Quarterly Sustainable Newsletter • Trash 2 Treasure table • Durham Day table • Investigating composting options • Working with UNH students on Capstone Projects. • Screening of Plastic Detox film. • Compost challenge • Advise DPW on change in solid waste and recycling procedure. We hope to receive data showing any change in SW volume. Illustrated "This Not That" Poster requested by resident Josh Meyerowitz, to clarify what can and cannot be recycled. Could this fit into a single poster/graphic? How would it be distributed? Place it in DYK? No conclusion reached. How to educate and motivate residents about plastic reduction? We agreed that this should be a priority and discussed this question for close to one hour. Points made and questions asked included: • Are reuse programs like Ridwell useful or “guilt erasers”? • Susan said that only 5% to 10% of plastics are actually recycled. • Janet suggested that a project reusing plastics could raise awareness about what is not being recycled. • We could set up booth near Hannaford to get input from public and provide information. • Can public be motivated to avoid plastic bags if they are not banned? • If a bill to ban plastic bags statewide is filed, we should campaign for public support. Composting • Paul reported that Londonderry is permitting a biogas facility, using methane from food waste. This kind of business provides infrastructure for statewide composting. • Janet will contact Casella about scheduling field trip. Capstone Project. Naomi read report from Julie: I met for the first time with the university students last Tuesday, September 8. We will have five students working with us this semester. They will research, report and educate fellow students and community members on plastics being used at local coffee shops, and what we can do to help students and community members make better choices. The students plan to attend our October 7 meeting to introduce themselves and talk about the project in-depth. In the meanwhile, if you have questions or ideas for the project, please reach out to me anytime. We plan to meet at 5 PM on Thursdays moving forward. You’re always welcome to join us if you wish. Naomi will ask Julie where they are meeting on Thursdays and will suggest they consider tabling at public space near The Works and Aroma Joe's. Sustainability Calendar. Naomi hasn't yet heard from Steve Lutterman about training to create and maintain calendar. She will contact him. Meeting adjourned at 9:45, purposing to meet again on October 7.