Trash & Recycling in Albuquerque, NM

If you live in Albuquerque or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Albuquerque has 9 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Dumpster Rules

Commercial dumpsters need a city-approved site plan; enclosures must screen them from the street and match their height, and street right-of-way placement needs a variance.

Key details: Site plan: Required before commercial collection approved. Right-of-way placement: Needs a variance. Setback height cap: 3 ft in front/corner setback. Enclosure height: At least dumpster height. Reviewing authority: Mayor / Planning Department.

Placing a container on street right-of-way without a variance, or exceeding a 3-ft height in a front/corner setback, makes the collection point illegal; the Mayor's designee can require removal and can suspend or designate service until the property owner complies.

Recycling Rules

Albuquerque residents must keep recyclable material separate from trash and properly bagged, bundled or contained before it goes in the city cart. Automated carts cap out at 150 pounds, and manual-collection bundles must stay under four feet long and forty pounds.

Key details: Governing law: Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Ordinance. Section: ROA § 9-10-1-6(A), (E). Automated cart limit: 150 lbs when full. Manual bag limit: 40 lbs per bag. Bundle limit: 4 ft long, 2 ft diameter, 40 lbs.

Improper preparation, contamination, or blocking a recycling cart is enforced as a violation of the solid waste article under Section 9-10-1-99, which is a misdemeanor carrying the general penalty set in Section 1-1-99, with enforcement procedures following Section 9-10-1-98. A resident whose cart is set out too early, too late, or is inaccessible to the collection crew is not cited criminally in the first instance but must store the material until the next scheduled pickup or pay the additional fee the Mayor sets for requested curbside service.

Collection Schedule

Albuquerque runs trash collection as a city monopoly: private haulers are barred from picking up residential refuse, and virtually every occupied premises is automatically billed for city service whether or not you set out a can.

Key details: Collector: City is exclusive hauler. Billing: All premises charged, no opt-out. Vacancy exemption: 90+ consecutive days, written request. Self-haul: Owner may haul own waste. Penalty: Up to $500 fine, 90 days jail.

Interfering with a city collection crew, or violating the solid waste ordinance generally, is a misdemeanor under § 9-10-1-99: a fine up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.

This is one of the stricter rules in Albuquerque's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Yard Waste Collection

Tree trimmings and other bundle-ready yard waste set out for city pickup must be tied into bundles no bigger than 4 feet long, 2 feet across, and 40 pounds each.

Key details: Bundle length limit: 4 feet maximum. Bundle diameter limit: 2 feet maximum. Bundle weight limit: 40 pounds maximum. Automated cart limit: 150 pounds when full. Curbside deadline: Out by 7 a.m. on pickup day.

Violating the solid waste ordinance is a misdemeanor under § 9-10-1-99, punishable by up to a $500 fine or 90 days in jail under the general penalty section, § 1-1-99, with each day counted as a separate offense.

Illegal Dumping

Albuquerque bans discarding refuse anywhere outdoors except at the approved time and place for that person's own collection service, with each day of violation a separate misdemeanor offense.

Key details: Governing section: ROA § 9-10-1-9. Penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine. Jail exposure: Up to 90 days. Unauthorized accumulation: Declared a public nuisance. Repeat violations: Each day is a separate offense.

Misdemeanor conviction; fine up to $500 and/or up to 90 days in jail per § 1-1-99, with each day of ongoing violation a separate offense.

This is one of the stricter rules in Albuquerque's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Bin Placement Rules

Albuquerque residents must set carts out by 7 a.m. on pickup day, place them wheels-to-curb near the driveway edge, and pull them back within 24 hours.

Key details: Set-out window: 12 hrs before pickup, by 7 a.m.. Placement: Wheels against curb, gutter. Cart weight limit: 150 lbs when full. Removal deadline: Within 24 hrs after pickup. Enforcer: Solid Waste Management Dept..

Late set-out or carts left at the curb past 24 hours after pickup means storing waste until next collection or paying an extra fee for requested curbside service.

Recycling Requirements

Any Albuquerque apartment, mobile home park or condo complex with 25 or more units must set up and run its own recycling collection program through the city. Smaller complexes can opt in, but the responsible party must notify tenants in writing at least twice a year.

Key details: Governing law: Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Ordinance. Section: ROA § 9-10-1-10. Mandatory threshold: 25+ unit multi-family properties. Tenant notice: Within 15 days, then twice yearly. Set-out deadline: 6:00 a.m. on pickup day.

Failure to establish or manage the mandatory recycling program, or misuse of a commingled container for refuse, is enforced under Section 9-10-1-99, which makes any violation of the solid waste and recycling article a misdemeanor subject to the general penalty in Section 1-1-99, and Section 9-10-1-98 applies the enforcement procedures of Section 1-1-98. Improperly using the recycling container for trash also triggers a separate collection-and-disposal fee under the rate appendix, on top of any misdemeanor citation.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Albuquerque requires refuse and recycling carts out by 7 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than 12 hours prior, and removed from curbside within 24 hours after pickup, per the city's Solid Waste Management ordinance.

Key details: Out time: No later than 7 a.m. on pickup day. Earliest set-out: No sooner than 12 hours before pickup. Removal: Off curb within 24 hours after pickup. Placement: Gutter, wheels against curb, clear of obstructions. Cart weight cap: Automated carts capped at 150 lbs.

Carts left out past 24 hours after pickup, set out too early, or blocked by vehicles or obstructions violate the ordinance; noncompliant residents must store waste until the next pickup or pay an added collection fee.

Bulk Item Disposal

Albuquerque's standard residential trash rate already includes large-item pickup, so most bulky household junk goes out with regular collection at no extra charge. Excess beyond what the Mayor considers normal accumulation triggers a special collection with its own fee.

Key details: Governing law: Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Ordinance. Section: ROA § 9-10-1-8(B)(1); rate appendix note 4. Included in base rate: Residential large item collection. Excess accumulation: Special collection, extra fee. Never accepted: Hazardous, infectious, flammable waste.

Placing hazardous, infectious, or highly flammable material out for bulk pickup, or mixing tires into a residential container, is enforced under Section 9-10-1-99, a misdemeanor subject to the general penalty in Section 1-1-99, with enforcement procedures under Section 9-10-1-98; producers of hazardous or infectious waste handled improperly must also reimburse the city for any resulting fines or cleanup costs under Section 9-10-1-8(C)(1). Excessive accumulation beyond the included large-item allowance is not itself a misdemeanor but results in an additional special-collection fee the Mayor sets under Section 9-10-1-8(B)(1).

The Bottom Line

Albuquerque is tougher than many cities when it comes to trash & recycling. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Albuquerque, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Albuquerque's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.