Trash & Recycling in Santa Fe, NM (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Santa Fe, New Mexico, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Santa Fe residential refuse must go out in bags no bigger than 33 gallons and no heavier than 50 pounds, placed curbside by 7:00 a.m. on collection day. Section 21-4.3 SFCC 1987 sets the window for putting containers out the night before and requires them off the curb again the next morning.
Santa Fe Residential Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 21-4.3(A),(E)
A.For residential collection tag service, the customer shall use commercially available plastic refuse bags which are no greater than thirty-three (33) gallons and have a maximum weight of fifty (50) pounds. The customer shall place bags on the curb by 7:00 a.m. of the day designated for collection...E.Customers shall place city provided refuse containers and recycling containers by curbside be...
Bin Placement Rules
Santa Fe residents may set refuse and recycling carts at the curb starting at 6:00 p.m. the night before collection and must pull them back in by 8:00 a.m. the day after. Automated carts need three feet of clearance from any other object.
Santa Fe Trash Cart Placement and Set-Out Hours
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 21-4.3(E)-(F)
Customers shall place city provided refuse containers and recycling containers by curbside between the hours of 6:00 p.m. the night before the designated day of collection and 7:00 a.m. on the day designated for collection. Refuse containers and recycling containers shall be removed from the curbside by 8:00 a.m. the day following the designated collection day. Customers who receive automated c...
Bulk Item Disposal
Santa Fe's large-item pickup service is one call per household, with a 50-pound cap on bundles and boxes and a two-tire limit per residence per call. Items must be curbside by 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled day, and accounts delinquent 30-plus days are ineligible.
Santa Fe Large-Item Curbside Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 21-4.7(A)-(K)
A. Service for large item pickup is restricted to one (1) customer per call. The customer shall only place items for pickup from that customer's household. B. Any and all containers, including boxes and bags, shall be secured to avoid spillage, including leaves, grass clippings, etc. Containers and/or bundles shall not exceed fifty (50) pounds. C. Tree limbs and other vegetative cuttings shall ...
Recycling Requirements
The city of Santa Fe holds the exclusive right to collect residential curbside recyclables inside the service area. Section 21-3.1(B) SFCC 1987 bars any other company from picking up curbside recycling, and Section 21-4.3(C) sets out exactly what residents may place in the automated recycling cart.
Santa Fe Curbside Recycling Exclusive Rights
Some RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 21-3.1(A)-(B)
A.The city and its duly authorized agents or employees shall have the exclusive right within the service area to collect or gather solid waste, with the exception of nonresidential recyclables, dead animals, construction and demolition debris, hazardous wastes and other such materials which the city is prohibited by law from collecting or disposing...B.The city and its duly authorized agents sh...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Santa Fe's front-loading, rear-loading, and roll-off commercial trash service runs Monday through Friday including holidays, so there is no citywide holiday suspension for business collection. Section 21-4.6(L) and (M) SFCC 1987 set the schedule, and customers needing a temporary change must ask the city at least one week ahead.
Santa Fe Commercial Trash Holiday Schedule
Light RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 21-4.6(L)-(M)
L.Front loading and rear loading service shall be provided Monday through Friday including holidays. Saturday service will be available for customers requiring six (6) days of service.M.Roll-off service shall be provided Monday through Friday including holidays. Requests for temporary changes in collection scheduling shall be submitted to the city not less than one (1) week in advance of the re...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping solid waste on private or public property in Santa Fe is banned outright under Section 21-4.1(B) SFCC 1987. The city enforces it with escalating administrative fees on the utility bill, reaching up to $500 for repeat violations at the same address, on top of municipal court penalties and possible injunctive relief.
Santa Fe Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsSFCC 1987 §§ 21-2.1 (Dumping), 21-4.1(B)
The following actions with regard to solid waste are hereby prohibited: A.Burning.B.Dumping.C.Placing solid waste in any container or areas other than those specifically designated or approved by the city for collection or disposal...Dumping means:A.Disposing of solid waste or any other discarded material on property within the city which is private including but not limited to privately owned ...
Yard Waste Collection
Santa Fe collects tree limbs and other yard trimmings through its large item pickup service, but only if bundled to code: cuttings must be tied in bundles no longer than four feet and weighing no more than fifty pounds. Oversized bundles set out under Section 21-4.7 SFCC 1987 are left uncollected.
Santa Fe Yard Waste Bundling Rules
Some RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 21-4.7(C)
C.Tree limbs and other vegetative cuttings shall be tied in bundles no longer than four feet (4') and shall not exceed fifty (50) pounds. Furniture items (couches, chairs, tables, desks, beds, mattresses, etc.) may be placed out for pickup.
Dumpster Rules
Santa Fe requires every dumpster, trash enclosure and outdoor storage area to be screened so it isn't visible from the street or from neighboring residential property. Walls, fences or plantings must close the view within two years of installation, and the enclosure must be built so runoff from the trash area can't reach the public stormwater system.
Santa Fe Dumpster and Trash Area Screening
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 14-8.4(J)(4)(a)-(c) (Storage, Trash and Equipment)
(4)Storage, Trash and Equipment(a)All trash areas, dumpsters, outdoor storage, service areas, ground and wall-mounted mechanical and electrical equipment, excluding transformers, and pedestals shall be screened so that they are not substantially visible from any public street, way or place or any adjacent residential property.(b)Screening shall be by walls, fences or planting of trees or shrubs...
Collection Schedule
Santa Fe's environmental services division holds the exclusive right to collect residential solid waste, and every developed property is billed for curbside service. Waste goes out for pickup on the city-designated collection day; no private hauler may compete for routine residential service.
Santa Fe Mandatory Curbside Trash Collection
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 21-3.1(A)
The city and its duly authorized agents or employees shall have the exclusive right within the service area to collect or gather solid waste, with the exception of nonresidential recyclables, dead animals, construction and demolition debris, hazardous wastes and other such materials which the city is prohibited by law from collecting or disposing. No person or organization may sell within the s...
Recycling Rules
Santa Fe requires automated recycling containers to hold only acceptable commingled materials, keeps food and beverage glass out entirely, and directs glass to designated drop-off sites. Recycling carts must sit three feet from refuse containers at the curb.
Santa Fe Curbside Recycling Sorting Rules
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 21-4.3(C); § 21-6.2
For residential automated recycling collection service, the customer shall place all acceptable recycling materials within the automated container, with the exception of food and beverage glass and all non-recyclable materials (ceramics, Pyrex, plate glass, light bulbs, drinking glasses, clothing, electronics, green waste, Styrofoam, food waste, food contaminated materials, or plastic bags, mun...