A Better Claremont Urges State to Uphold Denial of Acuity Waste Facility Permit

A Better Claremont called on New Hampshire state regulators Monday to stand behind the Department of Environmental Services' denial of a permit that would have transformed a small Industrial Boulevard recycling center into one of the region's largest construction and demolition waste operations.

The Methuen, Massachusetts-based Acuity Management, which operates the site under the name Recycling Services, had sought a permit modification allowing it to accept up to 2,500 tons of construction and demolition debris weekly at its Claremont facility. The Conservation Law Foundation's May 2025 press release framed that figure in annual terms: up to 130,000 tons of waste per year funneled into a residential neighborhood.

DES denied the permit modification last May. But the fight did not end there. Recycling Services and Acuity Management filed an appeal disputing the state's finding that trucks carrying the materials would obstruct traffic and the existing recycling operation, and arguing the company should not be required to obtain a waiver to accept construction and demolition materials. The Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation, which maintains an office in Concord, also filed an appeal, though from the opposite direction. CLF attorney Heidi Trimarco argued DES reached the right conclusion for incomplete reasons, writing in the filing: "DES erred in failing to determine that Acuity cannot advance this project without obtaining local approvals." Trimarco pointed specifically to two prior denials by the Claremont Zoning Board of the company's application for a construction and demolition facility.

"We must do everything in our power to prevent this facility from being approved and operating in our community," A Better Claremont said in a statement.

Eva Westheimer, the northern region lead organizer with Slingshot, the environmental advocacy organization that has worked alongside A Better Claremont for six years, described the DES denial as the product of sustained grassroots pressure. "The community of Claremont organized for years against Acuity's proposal, a facility that flunked every major legal and environmental test," Westheimer said. "There was no public benefit, no plan to manage toxic materials, and the threat of dozens of diesel trucks a day carrying hazardous debris through a residential area. This facility wasn't just a bad idea, it was an unlawful one."

Haley Jones, Vermont and New Hampshire state director for Slingshot, testified at a DES public hearing that hundreds of residents from Claremont and surrounding Sullivan County communities signed a petition urging the agency to deny the Type 1A permit application filed by Recycling Services on behalf of Acuity Management. Jones warned that out-of-state waste companies would prioritize profit over the region's long-term environmental and public health, citing what she described as lessons from the area's history with a prior incinerator in Ashville.

Judith CER, a member of A Better Claremont, also testified at the hearing, describing the group as having formed six years ago by neighbors who shared a common goal of protecting Claremont's future.

As of Monday, the state had not yet issued a ruling on the competing appeals. A decision from state regulators is expected within the coming weeks.