During the holiday season, around 25% more waste is produced than usual. Some holiday traditions create waste, but by reusing, recycling, and choosing experiences over things we can reduce waste.

“When sharing gifts this holiday season, please make room for new items by donating, selling, or recycling items you no longer need. The reuse or recycling of items will save valuable landfill space, and as an important reminder, please only place the correct materials in recycling carts to keep the recycling program running efficiently. Have a safe and Happy Holiday season,” said Tim Barber, Interim Director of Public Works.

Here are a few tips to help ensure holiday waste ends up in the right place:

• Cardboard: Empty & flatten boxes (cut if necessary); place in black lid recycling cart. Recycle boxes from online shopping, gift boxes, and empty pizza boxes! Studies show that grease on the box is okay for recycling (food is not, so remove all pizza). Liners and plastic pizza savers go in the trash. Take large boxes to the Dartmouth Transfer Station.
• Wrapping paper is not recyclable. If you want to be able to recycle your gift wrap, use newspaper, grocery store flyers, paper bags, or packing paper. Give gifts in reusable bags, jars, or tins. Bows, ribbons, and string cannot be recycled, reuse when possible. Place greeting cards (no metallic inks, foil, batteries, or glitter), catalogs, and other paper in the black lid cart. Place empty bottles, cans, jugs, and jars in the gray lid cart.
• Styrofoam blocks and string lights: Clean Styrofoam blocks can be recycled at the Dartmouth Transfer Station, 976 Russells Mills Road, Tuesday & Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Permit required. These items do not belong in the curbside recycling carts. Closing at 10:45 am on December 23 and 30. Closed on December 25 and January 1.

For additional tips, visit the Dartmouth Recycling Facebook page. If you have questions, please visit Sustainable gifts: Consider environmentally friendly gifts such as experiences (online music or dance lessons), gift cards, products made of recyclable material, reusable items, or handmade presents.

And, once your Christmas tree has been undecorated, here are ways in which it can be properly disposed.

• Christmas tree collection: SMART Program participants – real Christmas trees are scheduled to be picked up on the same day as your solid waste (separate truck) the weeks of January 3rd and January 10th. Collection begins at 7 a.m. Please remove all ornaments, stands, lights, and tinsel. Do not place trees in plastic bags. This schedule is subject to change with unforeseen weather conditions.

• Christmas tree drop-off: Dartmouth residents may drop off real Christmas trees at the brush area located at the Department of Public Works/Water Pollution Control Facility, 759 Russells Mills Road, Dartmouth. The hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Permit required. Closing at 10:45 am on December 23 and 30. Closed on December 24, 25, and 31 and January 1.

For additional tips, visit the Dartmouth Recycling Facebook page. If you have questions, please visit town.dartmouth.ma.us/solid-waste-recycling-division or call the Dartmouth DPW at (508) 999-0740.

Dartmouth Recycling photo.

Dartmouth Recycling photo.

“This week 11 new probationary Firefighters joined the New Bedford Fire Department. Welcome Aboard!!!

(L-R) Probationary FFs Michael Girouard, James Estrella IV, Jared Carreiro, Timothy Mattos, Joshua Bruins, Matthew Allen, Kory Medeiros, Jonathan Parkin, Quinn deSousa, Jared Furtado, William Matthews.”-New Bedford Fire Department.

New Bedford Fire Department photo.

“John “Mike” McNamara of Plymouth, passed away at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston on December 5 at the age of seventy-one, surrounded by his family.

Sergeant McNamara was born on August 21, 1950 in Boston and was a graduate of Hyde Park High School moving on to Western New England University, where he received a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1974. He rose to the rank of Sergeant on the Massachusetts State Police and retired in 2008.

He was also a master instructor in martial arts, a carpenter, loving Husband, Father and Grandfather.

Sergeant McNamara’s family is one dedicated to public service. His son Patrick is also a Trooper in the Massachusetts State Police and is a United States Army Veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division.”-Massachusetts State Police.

Back in August, we shared the announcement that a Michigan-based commercial real estate investment and development firm called ALRIG USA Development LLC applied for a site plan review from the City of New Bedford’s planning board.

In that short period of time – a matter of a few months – the necessary permits and licenses were approved and the building was erected at the proposed site at 8 Mitchell Street and 157-161 Coggeshall Street. The location encompasses Petro-Mart, Touchless Car Wash, and what was once a Subway restaurant.

This store will employ around 30 people and will feature a drive-thru.

As the last contractors finish their jobs and employees receive their training, there are simply a few inspections that need to be passed before the cafe opens.

Hilton Displays, City of New Bedford photo.

Hilton Displays, City of New Bedford photo.

Southcoast Health’s free online Osteoporosis and Bone Health Seminar is your opportunity to learn about osteoporosis testing, treatments, and the steps you can take now for better bone health.

Join them on Wednesday, December 15th at 4:30pm, and learn more and have your questions answered with Southcoast Health’s Joan Wildenhain, NPC — right from the comfort of your own home!

Register today by clicking the link below: https://www.southcoast.org/med-talk-registration-form/
—
Southcoast Health is a not-for-profit, community-based health system serving throughout southeastern MA and RI. Their system includes three hospitals – Charlton Memorial, St. Luke’s and Tobey.

“Just a few more days to rake, New Bedford residents!

The city’s seasonal collection of yard waste ends next Friday, Dec. 17.

If your trash day is Friday Dec. 17, your last yard waste pick-up will be Monday, Dec. 13.” -City of New Bedford.

City of New Bedford photo.

UPDATE: “Thank you everyone! Eva has been found. She turned herself into DCF!”

_____________________________________________________________________

“I am sending you two pictures of 15-year old Eva Castro who has not attended school for 3 months and is being sought by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division for Children, Youth and Families.

She has been in this country for 2 years and speaks K’iche/Spanish.

Could you please post her picture with a notice if seen to contact the authorities. She is supposedly in the company of a 30-year- old male.

Eva is believed to be staying in the north end around Acushnet Ave & Deane Streets. Hope we can flush this out and get her in a better place.””

“A cold front is expected to bring possibly strong, damaging winds, with highest gusts across SE #MA, the Cape & Islands, and Berkshires.

Gusts may down tree limbs – power outages possible. A coating up to an inch of snow is possible from 1 PM this afternoon to 1 AM EST Tuesday.

? Charge your devices
? Keep an eye on the forecast
⛄️ Deflate those inflatable decorations so they don’t take flight!”-Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

“We were so happy to answer the call made by Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and very appreciative for all of the backup we received from surrounding law enforcement agencies.

This is truly a very special time of the year that presents us with an opportunity to serve the community in a different way. Thank you to everyone who made yesterday possible.

Special thanks to Tremblay bus company for donating busses and operators to transport the excited children, Rockdale Ave. domino’s pizza, Portas De Cidade of Wesport, the 71st Plymouth police academy and St. Gabriel’s CCD class.

Please have a look through our photos. Happy Holidays!”-New Bedford Police Department.

All photos by the New Bedford Police Department:

Don’t deck the halls with invasive species!

Have you started decorating for the holidays? Avoid using invasive plants like oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose! Birds eat and carry away fruits from wreaths and garlands and can deposit still-viable seeds. Exotic, invasive plants can cause severe environmental damage and negatively impact native species and their habitats.

During holiday seasons, many people use plants to decorate their homes or businesses. Avoid using exotic, invasive plants such as Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) and Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) in holiday decorations. Though these plants are attractive, using invasive plants in decorations can impact native species and habitat. Birds eat and carry away the fruits from wreaths and garlands and the digested but still-viable seeds sprout where deposited.

Exotic, invasive plants create severe environmental damage, invading open fields, forests, wetlands, meadows, and backyards, and crowding out native plants. Bittersweet can even kill mature trees through strangling. Both plants are extremely difficult to control; when cut off, the remaining plant segment in the ground will re-sprout. It is illegal to import or sell bittersweet and Multiflora rose in any form (plants or cuttings) in Massachusetts. Learn more about invasive plants in Massachusetts and how they threaten our native species and natural communities here. Those who wish to decorate for the holidays should consider alternatives like native pines, spruces, hemlock, American holly, mountain laurel, fir, or winterberry holly.

You can learn more about invasive plants from our publication: “A Guide To Invasive Plants”. In the Guide, each invasive plant description includes a photograph, the plant’s regulatory status, key identification characteristics, habitats where the plant is likely to be found, types of threats the plant poses to native species and habitats, and its current distribution and place of origin.

To purchase a guide from MassWildlife, stop in the Field Headquarters office in Westborough during business hours or send in our publication order form.