Santa Fe, NM Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SFCC 1987 § 21-4.3
- Bag size limit
- 33 gallons maximum
- Bag weight limit
- 50 pounds maximum
- City cart capacity
- 200 pounds maximum
- Curb set-out window
- 6:00 p.m. night before to 7:00 a.m.
- Container removal deadline
- 8:00 a.m. day after collection
Summary
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.
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 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.
Full Breakdown
3, Conditions of Service for Residential Collection, spells out exactly how Santa Fe residents must present their refuse. on the designated collection day; automated-cart customers face no bag-size mandate, but city-provided containers cannot exceed two hundred pounds. the day after pickup. Automated-cart customers must place containers at least three feet from mailboxes, walls, parked cars, or other objects and clear of overhead obstacles like trees or utility lines. Where no curb exists, containers go on the property side outside the road's traffic boundaries. Bags must be tied securely, and if refuse spills in the public right-of-way from an improperly secured bag or an animal getting into it, the customer, not the city, is responsible for cleaning it up. Hypodermic needles must be in a puncture-proof, screw-top container rather than loose in the trash.
Violations & Fines
Refuse set out in bags heavier than fifty pounds or larger than thirty-three gallons, or left at the curb outside the 6:00 p.m.-to-7:00 a.m. window, does not meet Section 21-4.3's conditions of service and can go uncollected. Leaving containers at the curb past 8:00 a.m. the day after collection, or failing to clean up spillage caused by an improperly tied bag, is the customer's responsibility to correct under the same section.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can my trash bags be for Santa Fe curbside pickup?
What time can I put my trash cart out in Santa Fe?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Fe
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