Town of Durham New Hampshire

09/11/2026

Check out the latest news and happenings in Durham, NH in this week's "Friday Updates."

09/11/2026

Did You Know? 🌏

Are you wondering what to do with your political yard signs? The materials, energy, and effort that were expended to make these signs are finite and should be conserved as much as possible.

RECYCLE?

The metal stakes of a political yard sign can be put in the scrap metal pile at the transfer station, but the rigid plastic sign itself is not recyclable and must be thrown in the trash.

REUSE

Because recycling rigid plastic yard signs is not an option, it’s important to find ways to reuse or repurpose these signs. Please consider storing your political signs to use in future years, when the same candidate(s) run again. Or, reach out to the candidates to see if they will collect their yard signs for future campaigns.

REPURPOSE/UPCYCLE

If you can’t reuse your sign “ “as is”, there are still options. If the signs are corrugated plastic or plasticized cardboard, one of the easiest projects is to just make a new sign. Simply paint over the current text with a new message, such as “Happy Birthday “ or “Park Here”. (Use chalkboard paint for extra reusability). Or, because the corrugated plastic material is very durable, it has great potential for upcycling into something entirely different. Consider using the signs to make storage cubbies or boxes.

Source: Earth911

Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee

Questions about plastics? Email us at: [email protected]

Not sure if an item can be recycled? Checkhere: www.Recyclesmartma.org

Want to learn more about the Swap Shop? Check out this link:

https://swapshopdurham.wordpress.com/(https://swapshopdurham.wordpress.com/)

09/09/2026

NH PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS (DURHAM) UNOFFICIAL - 9/8/26

09/09/2026

NH PRIMARY ELECTION (DURHAM) RESULTS UNOFFICIAL - 9/8/2026

A thank you is extended to all of our election officials for running a smooth NH Primary election today at Oyster River High School. We could not run successful elections in Durham if not for our many wonderful community member volunteers, as well as the cooperation we receive from the ORCSD for use...

09/08/2026

PLANS FOR CHURCHILL RINK EXPANSION ONE OF MANY PROPOSALS ON THE PLANNING BOARD'S SEPTEMBER 9 AGENDA

Rachel Gasowski, Parks and Recreation Director, and Bill Page, Churchill Rink Manager, will give a presentation to the Planning Board this Wednesday, September 9, on prospective plans for the renovation and expansion of Churchill Rink on Old Piscataqua Road. The concept plan is shown above. The green line shows the existing building footprint, and the red line marks the proposed expanded footprint. The site is highly constrained so some expansion into setback areas would be needed. That aspect of the project will be part of the discussion with the board. You can see more information about the proposal https://www.durhamnh.gov/2290/Old-Piscataqua-Road-8-and-10-Churchill-R

All planning work to date is being funded through the Churchill Rink Special Revenue Fund, which currently has a balance of $542,000, not from tax dollars. Early discussions indicate a strong preference to fund the project through a combination of fundraising, grants, and facility-generated revenue, consistent with the rink’s self-sustaining model. At this stage, there is no request for taxpayer funding, and the project team remains mindful of Durham’s broader financial constraints as planning and due diligence continue.

In addition to this presentation, the Planning Board will also review proposals for changes to utilities for the approved plans for Riverwoods II, a 3-lot subdivision of a 20-acre lot at 73 Piscataqua Road, a 3-lot subdivision on Smith Park Lane, and two new 162,000 square foot light industrial/warehouse buildings on Technology Drive.

09/08/2026

Check out this week's Friday Updates!

A bee and a great spangled fritillary butterfly trying to share the same flower at the Wagon Hill Community Garden Courtesy, Veronique Ludington, Land Stewardship Coordinator

09/04/2026

SOLID WASTE UPDATES FOR LABOR DAY WEEK

Durham Public Works would like to remind residents that the Raymond. A. LaRoche, Sr. Transfer Station and Recycling Center will be OPEN on Saturday, September 5th from 7:30am – 3:00pm. Additionally, there will be NO curbside collection on Monday, September 7th. Monday’s route will be collected on Tuesday, Tuesday’s route on Wednesday, etc.

09/04/2026

Did You Know? 🌎

With the start of the new curbside trash and recycling pick up program, many residents have questions about what to do when recycling cardboard boxes.

It’s important to remember that anything being recycled curbside must fit inside the designated collection container so the lid can fit securely over the materials inside. NOTE: The same is true for items in the solid waste container.

Cardboard boxes don't necessarily need to be fully collapsed if the container's lid is closed and the boxes fit in the container. However, by not fully collapsing cardboard boxes, you run the risk of the container not being entirely emptied if boxes get caught up inside the container and trap other recyclable material underneath.

No cardboard will be picked up off the ground outside of the container, or on top of the lid.

Update on turning in old plastic waste containers at the transfer station.

You can continue to bring plastic waste containers you no longer use to the old cardboard shed at the transfer station. The Department of Public Works will accept plastic waste containers for recycling until October 1.

Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee



Questions about plastics? Email us at: [email protected]



Not sure if an item can be recycled? Checkhere: www.Recyclesmartma.org



Want to learn more about the Swap Shop? Check out this link:



https://swapshopdurham.wordpress.com/(https://swapshopdurham.wordpress.com/

08/28/2026

Check out the latest news and happenings in Durham, NH in this week's "Friday Updates." https://icont.ac/51lGS

08/26/2026

Did You Know? 🌎

There are many reasons to opt out of paper receipts. Here are some examples of how store receipts impact people and the planet.

Environmental impacts

Every year, receipt use in the United States consumes over 3,680,000 trees and over 10 billion gallons of water. In addition, receipt production emits the greenhouse gas equivalent of over 471,000 cars on the road each year.

Chemical contamination

An estimated 93% of all paper receipts are printed on thermal paper coated with toxic chemicals like Bisphenol-A (BPA) or BPS that can transfer to your skin and are known as endocrine-disruptors.

Not Recyclable

The thermal paper coating reacts to heat and ruins recycled paper pulp, so receipts must go into the regular trash.Putting them in the recycling bin contaminates entire batches of recyclable paper.

Ways to Take Action

Sign up for digital receipts on retailer’s apps, websites, or in store.
Urge companies to improve receipt practices on social media ( ).
A little good news

Many retailers are already making the choice to offer a digital option and use non-toxic thermal paper, but the majority of stores still need to take action.

To learn more about Green America’s Skip the Slip campaign and latest report, please check out the link below:

https://share.google/L9fC3hqTuY28YK3qa

Source: GreenAmerica.org

Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee

Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at: [email protected]



Not sure if an item can be recycled? Checkhere: www.Recyclesmartma.org

Want to learn more about the Swap Shop? Check out this link:

https://swapshopdurham.wordpress.com/

Reduce | Reuse | Recycle