We present two large , nearby ( 0.013 \leq z \leq 0.06 ) samples of Early-Type Galaxies ( ETGs ) : a visually classified sample of 220 ETGs , created using source-matched data from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly ( GAMA ) database with FIR/sub-mm detections from Herschel -ATLAS ; and a visually classified sample of 551 ETGs which are undetected with Herschel -ATLAS .
Active galactic nuclei ( AGN ) are removed from our samples using optical emission line diagnostics .
These samples are scrutinised to determine characteristics of sub-mm detected versus undetected ETGs .
We find similarities in the stellar mass distributions of the two ETG samples but testing other properties uncovers significant differences .
The sub-mm detected sample is shown to have lower concentration and Sérsic indices than those in the undetected sample - a result which may be linked to the presence of dust in the former .
Optical and UV-optical colours are also shown to be much bluer , indicating that the dust is linked with recent star formation .
The intrinsic effective radii are on average 1.5 times larger for the sub-mm detected ETGs .
Surface densities and groups data from the GAMA database are examined for the two samples , leading to the conclusion that dusty ETGs inhabit sparser environments than non-dusty ETGs in the nearby universe , although environments of the brightest ETGs are shown to differ the least .
Modified Planck functions are fit to the H-ATLAS detected PACS and SPIRE fluxes for ETGs with sub-mm flux densities of at least 3 \sigma in the 350 \mu m SPIRE band , giving a resultant mean cold dust temperature of T _ { d } =22.1K , with a range of 9-30K .
The corresponding mean dust mass is 1.8 \times 10 ^ { 7 } M _ { \odot } , with a range of ( 0.08-35.0 ) \times 10 ^ { 7 } M _ { \odot } .
The dust masses calculated from these fits , normalised by stellar mass , are shown to increase with decreasing stellar mass and bluer colours .
Based on visual classifications of elliptical and lenticular , we find similar dust properties for these two early-type morphologies .
We conclude that there is a population of elliptical galaxies which exhibit larger dust masses , lower Sérsic index and bluer colours than the more well-known , massive , red population of ellipticals .