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Littering in NH

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Littering is against the law in New Hampshire. Most littering offenses are treated as a violation, subject to a fine. More serious littering involving hazardous materials or large quantities of trash can be a misdemeanor. 

Courts can order litterbugs to clean up the area where they littered. If you throw litter out of a car, truck, or boat, you could get your license suspended for up to seven days. Courts can also publicly release the names of people convicted of littering.

Towns sometimes pass their own litter laws imposing heavier fines. Check your town ordinances to see how your town punishes littering. 

Reporting litter

Unlike some states, New Hampshire doesn’t have a hotline for reporting litter. However, if you see someone littering or illegally dumping, you can report it to your local police department. Take note of the date, time, and any identifying information about the person or vehicle involved. 

How is roadside litter cleaned up?

New Hampshire’s “Sponsor-a-Highway" program sees organizations or businesses volunteer to take care of litter on a stretch of road. The group must agree to clean up the litter four times a year. On smaller roads, this is done by volunteers from the organization. For highways with limited access, the organization must hire professionals to do the job. In exchange, the group gets a sign advertising that it adopted that stretch of road. 

About 1,500 miles of New Hampshire roads have been cleaned up through “Sponsor-a-Highway".

The rest of state roads are cleaned up by crews with the Department of Transportation. 

Towns also rely on volunteers. The Litter-Free NH Program gives towns or other groups free trash bags for organizing litter clean-ups. 

What NH could do about litter

Concerned about litter? Here are some ways to address the problem:

  • Organize a clean-up in your community. You can contact Litter-Free NH for tips and supplies. 
  • New Hampshire could pass a bottle deposit law. This might provide an incentive for people to return their bottles instead of tossing them.
  • The state could spend more money on education programs. Some states give out tarps and hold workshops on properly tying down loads in truck beds. Others put up billboards or advertisements discouraging littering. 
  • The state or towns could impose stricter penalties for littering. Some states make certain kinds of littering a felony or levy hefty fines. However, there is some evidence that police become more hesitant to enforce littering laws if they feel like the punishment is unreasonable. 
  • The state could ban or limit distribution of some commonly littered items, like plastic bags or straws

Find your elected officials and talk to them about littering. You can ask what they’re doing about the problem or make your own recommendations.  

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