Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Department

Ok so since I'm JUST visiting here, I won't profess to know the pain of gathering & dropping off recyclables... But I get it, as I've done it myself in the past. For the time that I'm here, this is my pleasure to show (don't just say it) that I care about the future of man-kind. So here goes nothing. Biweekly, I rinse & recycle my plastic & paper waste & drive a couple miles away to recycle. I appreciate the fact that the bins accept glass & other bulk paper/plastic items; makes me all warm & fuzzy inside. 3 large properly labeled bins accommodate me & my recyclables. The bins are typically quite full whenever I go to deposit, way cool. Glad to see locals also join in the recycling revelry... WooooHoop #GoGreen

I remember the day our big green bin showed up at our door. It was 1992, I was a sophomore in high school, and Minneapolis had launched its recycling program. Initially, the city asked everyone to separate the basics into individual bags: plastic, glass, aluminum, paper. But that quickly changed once the idea caught on that recycling really made a lot of sense, it was easy to do, and let's not forget the whole planetary responsibility thing. The city developed large plants where people were paid fair wages to separate the goods, and the average Joe just put everything in the same big sidewalk can. Mind you, this was in 1992.One week ago today, a blue recycling bin was delivered to my sidewalk, some 10 months following the announcement that the curbside program had been instituted. I moved here in 1996. If you do the math, for the past 17 years I've taken all of my recycling materials to "centers" around the city, hauling the stuff on a weekly basis because I actually felt some kind of responsibility regarding the crap I consume. Poor, ignorant me. I once asked a local why we didn't even recycle glass at the curb, he smiled and said, "Man, we have enough sand in this town already."So bravo, Berry administration, you've accomplished something the rest of the world figured out decades ago. Oh, and by the way, the curbside program still does NOT include glass (or plastic bags, apparently not recyclable, period), so I'll be driving that across town for the foreseeable future. How does this make any sense?What about yard waste? Well, over the years I've found myself driving across the city, fairly regularly, to drop dirt and leaves and wood and whatever at the dump, because the city doesn't pick that up, either. What? Okay, not entirely true, as the website points out: "Curbside collection of green waste (yard waste) is offered free-of-charge two times per year." That's right folks, twice a year! So just pile up your green stuff somewhere on your lawn for the big day, six months from now, when you'll be bagging the stuff into trash bags to set on your curb, and we all know that sticks and stumps conveniently fit in Hefty bags, right? By the way, most evolved municipalities also began providing green waste curbside bins for the citizenry about a decade back.As far as this particular ABQ department goes, I wish I could be the Star Nazi: No stars for you!

I have had good experiences with the west side drop off. $5.25 is minimal for the drop off fee in my opinion, much better than dumping it out on the mesa. They guide you in and it all goes pretty smoothly. Sometimes the cashier is gruff so minus 1 star. Sometimes they even help me unload if they're trying to keep things moving. They take green waste too and with a large yard we have tons of leaves and branches that can't wait for the twice a year pick up. Those are nice though if you time it right. All those bags of leaves, I had over 13, are picked up on your regular day. Large item pick up is free, you just need to call 311 in advance and they will send a truck to pick up your large items like water heaters or old carpet for example. 311 will give you specific directions for cutting up the carpet and pad. (Rolled and tied in to 4' sections, set by the curb away from your bins and out before 7 am.) Hazardous waste like old gasoline or paint can be dropped off at the Edith location. You just have to fill out a form and they will take it, long fluorescent bulbs that Ace and Home Depot won't take anymore can be dropped off there. Pull up and they come out to meet you.

I am disabled. 9 times out of 10 the pick up truck dumps my dumpster on its side on the street after emptying it.