Valencia County, NM Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 50.16(A)
- Rule type
- Conditional on County Manager directive
- Recyclable materials defined
- § 50.05, reusable raw materials
- Franchise authority
- Board may contract for recycling (§ 50.14(A))
- Noncompliance risk
- Collection denial, up to $300/day fine
Summary
Unincorporated Valencia County's solid waste code lets the County Manager require households and businesses to keep recyclable materials in separate containers from garbage and ashes. Section 50.16(A) authorizes, rather than automatically mandates, curbside separation, so the actual sorting requirement takes effect only once the County Manager directs it for a service area.
RECYCLABLE MATERIALS. Materials that would otherwise become solid waste if not recycled, and that can be collected, separated or processed and placed in use in the form of raw materials, products or densified, solid waste-derived fuels. ... (A) Separation of solid waste. Garbage, ashes, recyclable materials, and other materials as directed, shall each be placed and maintained in separate containers, if the County Manager so requires.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 50 defines the building blocks of a recycling requirement before ever imposing one. 05 defines RECYCLABLE MATERIALS as materials that would otherwise become solid waste if not recycled, and that can be collected, separated or processed and placed in use in the form of raw materials, products or densified, solid waste-derived fuels, and defines RECYCLING as the process of collecting, separating or reusing that material. 16(A), Separation of solid waste, then converts that definition into an operative rule: garbage, ashes, recyclable materials, and other materials as directed shall each be placed and maintained in separate containers, if the County Manager so requires. 14(D). 16(C).
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a County Manager directive to separate recyclable materials from garbage under § 50.16(A) exposes a resident or business to the chapter's general penalty at § 50.99: a petty misdemeanor, with a default fine of up to $300 for each day the noncompliance continues under § 50.99(C)(3), and the hauler may deny collection of a nonconforming container under § 50.16(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Valencia County require curbside recycling separation?
What counts as a recyclable material under the county code?
What happens if I don't separate recyclables once the county requires it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Valencia County
Compare Valencia County to another location·View the New Mexico trash & recycling overview
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