New Bedford, MA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Recycling duty
- Mandatory for every customer property (§ 16-77(b))
- Coverage
- Applies to all city buildings, including schools
- Container
- City-issued blue bin or wheeled cart (§ 16-71)
- Program materials set by
- Director's rules and regulations (§ 16-77(a))
- Fine
- Up to $300 per offense, per day
Summary
New Bedford requires every customer to separate recyclables from solid waste before collection under Code of Ordinances § 16-77, using materials the director designates for the City of New Bedford Curbside Recycling Program. The separation duty applies to all city property, including schools, whether or not the building actually receives city trash collection.
(a)Materials included in the City of New Bedford Curbside Recycling Program shall be designated in the rules and regulations, promulgated by the director.(b)Each customer shall separate from solid waste all materials included in the City of New Bedford Curbside Recycling Program, and shall ensure that solid waste is placed in a separate receptacle from recyclables, prior to collection. This requirement shall apply to property located within the city, without regard to whether the building's solid waste is collected by the city. This requirement shall also apply to all city-owned buildings, including schools.(c)Every owner (or owner's agent if designated in a written agreement), shall be severally and jointly responsible for ensuring that recyclables are separated from solid waste, prior to solid waste disposal and that recyclables are collected for recycling, separately from solid waste.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-77 makes recycling mandatory rather than optional in New Bedford. 017 evolve. Subsection (b) requires every customer to separate program materials from solid waste and keep them in a receptacle apart from the trash before collection, and this separation duty applies to every property in the city, not just those receiving city curbside pickup, and extends to all city-owned buildings including schools. Subsection (c) makes owners, or an owner's agent under a written agreement, severally and jointly responsible for ensuring recyclables are actually separated before disposal and collected apart from solid waste.
Section 16-71 defines the 'acceptable recycling container' as the blue bin or wheeled cart the Department of Facilities and Fleet Management issues, moving to an automated wheeled cart once the city's contractor converts to single-stream automated collection. Recyclables placed loose in the trash, or trash mixed into the recycling bin, violate both § 16-77 and § 16-79's bar on depositing unacceptable materials for collection.
Violations & Fines
Failing to separate recyclables from trash, or placing non-program materials in the recycling bin, violates § 16-77 and can draw a fine up to $300 per offense under § 16-84(c), with each day a separate violation. The director of health has independent authority under § 16-72(d) to enforce recycling and storage compliance alongside the facilities and fleet management director.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Bedford
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle recycling requirements.