Sandoval County, NM Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 14-26(a)(1) explains that Sandoval County awarded an eight-year exclusive franchise agreement for residential solid waste collection in the unincorporated areas outside Placitas, effective January 1, 2018, and that no hauler other than the contracted franchise hauler may provide residential collection there. Critically, subsection (a) labels the arrangement 'non-mandatory exclusive residential collection services,' meaning property owners choose whether to subscribe; the code does not force every household onto the service. For those who do subscribe, Section 14-26(b)(1) ties pickup frequency to 'such times and frequency as deemed necessary by the county manager and as provided in the collection schedule submitted to the county manager by the exclusive residential hauler,' so the schedule itself is filed by the contracted hauler rather than fixed by ordinance.

Section 14-26(b)(3) adds a school-safety buffer that applies to all collection, residential or commercial: no collection vehicle may collect within 200 feet of a school site within a half hour of the school opening or closing for the day. Under subsection (c)(1), the franchise contractor collects each subscribing residence's waste for a standard charge, and any excessive accumulation may require a special collection at an added fee or an additional county-provided container. Section 14-26(e)(1) leaves residential service fees to be set by agreement between the board of county commissioners and the franchise hauler, billed only to owners who subscribe.