NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (March 17, 2025) Backyard compost bins are available at a reduced cost for New Bedford and Dartmouth residents looking to divert food waste from the trash! A North End Compost Bin Day is coming up on Saturday, April 5, 2025, and South End Compost Bin Day will take place on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Delivery of compost bins is also available for residents without transportation. Composting turns fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment.
On the two Compost Bin Days, New Bedford & Dartmouth residents who purchase, or previously purchased, a backyard compost bin will be eligible for the following:
- A free 2-gallon plastic Sure-Close kitchen counter bin while supplies last.
- A chance to win a free 1.3-gallon stainless steel kitchen counter bin. Four bins will be randomly given out at each Compost Bin Day.
The kitchen counter bins are used to collect food waste such as banana peels and apple cores. When full, empty it into your backyard compost bin. Kitchen counter bins are only available on Compost Bin Days and while supplies last.
At the Compost Bin Days, there will be an opportunity to see each type of compost bin set up and to ask questions about the two compost bins and how to compost at home.
Both North End and South End Compost Bin Days are open to New Bedford and Dartmouth residents and are organized by the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District.
- The north end event will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 8:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the Crapo Hill Landfill, 300 Samuel Barnet Blvd., New Bedford. Enter through the New Bedford Business Park. No sign up required.
- The south end event will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the City of New Bedford Wastewater Treatment Facility, 1000 S. Rodney French Blvd., New Bedford. Sign up is required. Visit gnbrrmdistrict.org in the weeks before the event to select a time slot.
- If a resident is interested in purchasing a compost bin, but does not have transportation, please contact the Refuse District at (508) 979-1493 to ask about delivery options.
- The Refuse District sells compost bins year-round at the Crapo Hill Landfill. The hours are Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. -10:45 a.m.
The Refuse District offers two types of backyard compost bins. The Earth Machine and the New Age Composter are available at the discounted cost of $25 each (including tax). Cash, check, or money order only. Proof of residency required. The cost of each backyard compost bin is subsidized by the two communities to encourage backyard composting and food waste diversion.
“Food waste makes up approximately 20% of the waste that residents generate in their homes. Composting fruit and vegetable scraps saves space in your trash bags and the landfill, while providing nutrient rich material for gardening,” notes Marissa Perez-Dormitzer, Waste Reduction Manager.
Benefits of composting include:
- Cost Savings – Composting reduces your need for trash bags, saving you money.
- Nutrient Preservation – By composting, you can return valuable nutrients to the soil, benefiting your plants, flowers, and trees instead of discarding them as waste.
- Landfill Space Conservation – Food waste comprises approximately 20% of all disposed trash in Massachusetts. Yard waste is banned from disposal by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Composting food waste and yard waste helps save valuable landfill space.
- Gardening Benefits – Provides gardeners with free compost!
Which backyard compost bin is best for you?
The Earth Machine:
- 80-gallon capacity, great for smaller families, gardens, or yards.
- Made of rigid recycled plastic – twist lid to lock, unlock, and allow for ventilation.
- Comes with two halves for the body, a lid, and a perforated base plate. Easy to assemble in a few steps.
- The sliding door at the base allows for compost removal. Or the entire bin can be picked up to harvest the finished compost at the bottom.
- Rodent prevention: keep meat, bones, fats, oil & dairy out of the bin. Comes with a perforated base plate that helps keep rodents out.
- Add water to keep the contents as damp as a wrung-out sponge (leftover cooking water can be used). It is possible to drill holes in the lid and body to allow in rainwater.
The New Age Composter (made in New Bedford):
- Capacity up to 180-gallons, great for larger families, bigger gardens, yards with more leaves.
- Made of flexible recycled plastic so the diameter can be adjusted during setup.
- Cone-shaped base continually aerates contents from below, turning is not necessary.
- Comes with a body, base, lid, fasteners to hold it together, and metal ground stakes. Easy to assemble in a few steps. Video with instructions for assembly: https://youtu.be/08qDLLv1Hgc.
- To access the finished compost, push aside fresh material on top and shovel out compost underneath. Or pick up the entire bin to access the finished compost. Using 2 or 3 bins in rotation makes harvesting compost easy from the oldest bin.
- Rodent prevention: keep meat, bones, fats, oil & dairy out of the bin. The sides and bottom cone may be secured to the ground with stakes to keep rodents out.
- Holes in the lid allow rainwater in. During dry spells, add water to keep contents as damp as a wrung-out sponge.
If you have questions about how to compost, visit https://gnbrrmdistrict.org/food-waste-composting/backyard-composting/ or contact the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District by phone at (508) 979-1493, by email at Marissa@gnbrrmdistrict.org or by text at (774) 503-0254. For additional tips, follow New Bedford Recycling on Facebook, Instagram, or Nextdoor or follow Dartmouth Recycling on Facebook and Nextdoor.