Trash & Recycling in New Mexico (2026)
57 rules on the books across New Mexico, 7 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Trash and recycling collection days, what time to put bins out, and rules about sorting materials for curbside pickup.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque requires refuse and recycling carts out by 7 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than 12 hours prior, and…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Bernalillo County sets exact curbside hours: containers out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before and by…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Doña Ana County, weekly trash collection is mandatory: private haulers or self-service commercial…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsEvery residential property in Las Cruces must use the city's curbside service, cannot hire a third-party hauler, and…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsResidential containers go out no earlier than 7 p.m. the evening before pickup and no later than 7 a.m. on pickup day…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe residential refuse must go out in bags no bigger than 33 gallons and no heavier than 50 pounds, placed…
Read full rule →Bin Placement Rules
Where to position trash and recycling carts, when they may go to the curb and must come back, and the screening or enclosure rules for where bins live between pickups.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque residents must set carts out by 7 a.m. on pickup day, place them wheels-to-curb near the driveway edge, and…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Bernalillo County residents must set trash carts out between 5 p.m. the evening before collection and 7…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsResidential carts in Las Cruces must stay on private property except on collection day, and even then can only go out…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho, New Mexico residents in this Sandoval County city must set trash carts at the curb no earlier than 7 p.m…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsSandoval County requires solid waste receptacles to be kept clean and located where they're readily accessible for…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe residents may set refuse and recycling carts at the curb starting at 6:00 p.m. the night before collection and…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Light RestrictionsUnincorporated Doña Ana County requires every solid-waste container, whether it sits at a house or is hauled to…
Read full rule →Bulk Item Disposal
How to dispose of large items like furniture, appliances, and mattresses, including scheduled pickups and drop-off locations.
New Mexico: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsThe New Mexico Solid Waste Act establishes statewide disposal standards, prohibits unpermitted dumping, and requires…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque's standard residential trash rate already includes large-item pickup, so most bulky household junk goes out…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces residents can set oversized items too big for their trash cart at the curb for the regular Grappler service…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho's contractor collects bulky items like furniture and appliances by request for a fee, and oversized rubbish…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe's large-item pickup service is one call per household, with a 50-pound cap on bundles and boxes and a two-tire…
Read full rule →Recycling Requirements
Mandatory recycling rules including which materials must be separated, contamination penalties, and composting requirements.
New Mexico: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsNew Mexico's Recycling and Illegal Dumping Act sets a statewide recycling goal and requires counties to plan disposal…
Read full rule →Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAny Albuquerque apartment, mobile home park or condo complex with 25 or more units must set up and run its own…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsCurbside recycling in Las Cruces runs through a partnership between the city and the South Central Solid Waste…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho collects recyclable materials weekly alongside trash through its exclusive franchise contractor, with 1.5%…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsThe city of Santa Fe holds the exclusive right to collect residential curbside recyclables inside the service area…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Light RestrictionsDoña Ana County does not run curbside recycling; residents haul single-stream recyclables to the County's solid waste…
Read full rule →Holiday Pickup Schedule
How collection days shift around major holidays, where to verify the current schedule, and rules for putting bins out around shifted pickup dates.
Rio Rancho
Light RestrictionsWhen Rio Rancho's contractor treats New Year's Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, or Christmas as a non-collection day…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Light RestrictionsSanta Fe's front-loading, rear-loading, and roll-off commercial trash service runs Monday through Friday including…
Read full rule →Illegal Dumping
Penalties and enforcement for dumping trash, debris, or hazardous materials on private or public property without authorization.
Albuquerque
Heavy RestrictionsAlbuquerque bans discarding refuse anywhere outdoors except at the approved time and place for that person's own…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Heavy RestrictionsDumping solid waste anywhere outside approved collection times and places is unlawful in unincorporated Bernalillo…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Heavy RestrictionsDoña Ana County fines illegal dumping up to $1,000 for ordinary refuse, litter or garbage disposed of outside an…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Heavy RestrictionsRio Rancho bans dumping solid waste or debris in arroyos, drainage ditches, or waterways, and on any property in the…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Heavy RestrictionsSandoval County makes it unlawful to dump solid waste or debris in any arroyo, streambed, drainage ditch, or public…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Significant RestrictionsDumping solid waste on private or public property in Santa Fe is banned outright under Section 21-4.1(B) SFCC 1987. The…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsDumping litter, trash, or debris on any street, alley, right-of-way, arroyo, or private land without the owner's…
Read full rule →Yard Waste Collection
Rules for separating grass clippings, leaves, branches, and other yard waste from regular trash, including pickup days and bag/bin requirements.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsTree trimmings and other bundle-ready yard waste set out for city pickup must be tied into bundles no bigger than 4…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County requires tree trimmings and yard waste bundled to no more than four feet long and two feet wide for…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsGrass clippings, weeds, and leaves must go out in clear plastic bags for the city's Green Grappler service under Code…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe collects tree limbs and other yard trimmings through its large item pickup service, but only if bundled to…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Light RestrictionsSandoval County has no curbside yard waste pickup program; grass clippings, leaves, and brush ('yard refuse' under §…
Read full rule →Dumpster Rules
Permits and placement rules for residential or construction dumpsters, including how long they can stay and ROW obstruction limits.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsCommercial dumpsters need a city-approved site plan; enclosures must screen them from the street and match their…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsCommercial dumpster and roll-off placement in unincorporated Bernalillo County requires county manager site-plan…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsConstruction sites in unincorporated Doña Ana County must contain debris in approved roll-off or overhead-dump…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsBusiness dumpster enclosures in Las Cruces must meet city specifications under Sec. 38-61 of the Municipal Code, with…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsBuilders placing a construction dumpster or drop box in a Rio Rancho, New Mexico right-of-way must first obtain a…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsCommercial solid waste containers in unincorporated Sandoval County must be kept accessible between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe requires every dumpster, trash enclosure and outdoor storage area to be screened so it isn't visible from the…
Read full rule →Collection Schedule
Day-of-week pickup schedules by neighborhood, set-out and take-back time windows, and where to find your specific block's schedule.
Albuquerque
Significant RestrictionsAlbuquerque runs trash collection as a city monopoly: private haulers are barred from picking up residential refuse…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsBernalillo County runs mandatory roadside trash collection in designated unincorporated service areas. Residents must…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Some RestrictionsEvery residence and business in unincorporated Doña Ana County must receive solid waste collection at least once a…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsThe city and its authorized agents hold the exclusive right to collect residential and commercial waste in Las Cruces…
Read full rule →Rio Rancho
Some RestrictionsRio Rancho requires every property owner to arrange and pay for franchised solid waste collection service, whether or…
Read full rule →Sandoval County
Some RestrictionsResidential trash collection outside Placitas runs through an eight-year exclusive franchise hauler, but county code…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe's environmental services division holds the exclusive right to collect residential solid waste, and every…
Read full rule →Recycling Rules
Which items can and cannot go in residential single-stream recycling bins, contamination penalties, and rules for hazardous-waste drop-off.
Albuquerque
Some RestrictionsAlbuquerque residents must keep recyclable material separate from trash and properly bagged, bundled or contained…
Read full rule →Bernalillo County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Bernalillo County, anyone who sets up a recyclable-materials collection point must keep it off the…
Read full rule →Las Cruces
Some RestrictionsHouseholds that opt out of Las Cruces curbside recycling still pay the program fee and get no container, and SCSWA will…
Read full rule →Santa Fe
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe requires automated recycling containers to hold only acceptable commingled materials, keeps food and beverage…
Read full rule →Dona Ana County
Few RestrictionsDoña Ana County has no mandatory curbside recycling program for the unincorporated area; the only County-level…
Read full rule →