Sorry, Dartmouth Residents, You Can’t Get a Larger Recycling Bin

Editor's Note: This article was written based on information found on the Town of Dartmouth website in the FAQ section regarding the recycling program. After its initial publication, the Town of Dartmouth reached out to Fun 107 to inform us that the town does not have 96-gallon recycling bins and does not offer barrels for one-time usage.

I see it way too often on my social media feed: the complaints about recycling.

Yeah, I get it, it can be a bit tedious at times, but we need to realize that we only have one planet and every little bit counts – especially recycling.

Listen, I'm not here to sound like an earth-loving hippie, I'm just here to dish out the facts of life. Owning a house in New Bedford, I understand that each town and city has different protocols for recycling and the "how-to" spiel that corresponds to it.

However, I also know that each SouthCoast resident has one common complaint, and that is the size of their recycling bin.

In Dartmouth, residents have what's called the Automated SMART Waste Reduction Program (Save Money And Reduce Trash). It's similar to most recycling programs where each household is issued two 65-gallon wheeled recycling carts. This is all controlled by the Dartmouth DPW, which also understands that sometimes we have life events that create more waste and recyclables than the weekly average, and it might be a challenge for a 65-gallon bin to fit everything.

In case you, a Dartmouth resident within the SMART program, find yourself in this predicament, then you can call the DPW to request a 96-gallon bin for one-time use at no extra cost. This should allow for an extra 31-gallons of space to dispose of your recyclables properly and without damaging your original 65-gallon bin.

Call the DPW SMART Hotline at (508) 999-0740 to request your 96-gallon recycling bin.