Yard waste in Albuquerque does not have to go to a landfill. Soilutions,
a compost facility at 9008 Bates Rd SE, accepts clean green waste from the public free of
charge, five days a week, including Christmas trees. Loads are composted locally rather than
buried. Check their organics recycling
page for current hours.
Last updated: September 2, 2026. We re-check this page whenever Soilutions
changes what it accepts.
Where can I take yard waste in Albuquerque?
Soilutions, at 9008 Bates Rd SE, accepts clean green waste from the public free of charge,
five days a week. It is a compost facility rather than a landfill, so loads are unloaded
quickly and turned into local compost. Check their organics recycling page for current hours
before you load up.
They publish the accepted and rejected material lists themselves, and that page is the
authority on it rather than anything we could paraphrase here:
Soilutions organics recycling. Their
yard is reachable on 505-877-0220.
Does Soilutions charge to drop off yard waste?
No. Soilutions accepts clean yard waste from anyone in the community at no charge. The
load has to be clean green waste, though. Anything mixed with trash can be rejected at the
gate, which is the one thing that turns a free trip into a wasted one.
What yard waste does Soilutions accept?
Trees up to 18 inches in diameter and 8 feet long, branches, leaves, shrubs and prunings,
grass clippings, weeds, cactus and yucca, Christmas trees with decorations removed, and
woodchips. Their organics recycling page carries the current list and is the authority on
it.
Cactus and yucca matter more here than the length of that list suggests. A lot of
Albuquerque yards produce prunings a general green waste stream will not take, and they are
accepted here.
What will Soilutions not accept?
Trash of any kind, and a load containing it can be rejected outright. They also do not
take root balls, sod, manure, or feces. Sod and manure are excluded because of possible
chemical residue and persistent herbicides, which would carry through into the finished
compost.
That last one surprises people. It is not fussiness. Herbicide residue survives composting
and damages whatever the finished product gets spread on.
Can I drop off a Christmas tree in Albuquerque?
Yes. Soilutions accepts Christmas trees as part of its green waste stream, with all
decorations, tinsel, flocking and stands removed. A tree with wire or plastic still on it is
a contaminated load, so strip it properly before you leave the house.
Is dropping off faster than a landfill or transfer station run?
Usually, yes. Soilutions is a dedicated compost yard rather than a general waste site, so
there is no queue of household loads to sit behind. Weekend waits at a landfill or transfer
station are the normal complaint, and a green waste drop-off avoids that.
Can I pick up compost on the same trip?
Yes, and it is why our crews plan the trip this way. Soilutions loads bulk compost, soil
and mulch straight into a pickup or trailer, so the same vehicle that arrived full of
prunings leaves full of compost. One trip instead of two.
If you are clearing a yard and replanting in the same season, that single detail takes a
whole afternoon out of the job.
How we handle green waste on our own jobs
We are a landscaping company working across the Albuquerque metro, and green waste from
cleanups, prunings and turf removal goes to Soilutions rather than to a landfill. On a
xeriscape conversion the truck usually comes back loaded with compost for the new beds, which
is the same round trip described above.
If you would rather not haul it yourself, yard cleanup and hauling is part of what we do.
Call (505) 219-2200 or ask for a quote.