Leaf removal and yard cleanup in Albuquerque is priced by the amount of material, the size of the lot and how long things have sat, so we quote after seeing the property. ABQ Landscape Co clears leaves, brush and wind blown debris, then writes down where the green waste goes.
Call (505) 630-1309 or request a free quote and we’ll look at the yard with you. The sections below cover what the City of Albuquerque accepts as green waste, when its free pickup runs, what a cleanup visit should include, and how debris causes trouble in desert gravel and under drip lines.
Albuquerque doesn’t clean up like a city with a long leaf drop and rain every week. Spring wind and monsoon storms deliver much of the debris, valley lots carry heavy cottonwood and elm drop, and the City’s own pickup rules decide what you can set at the curb. Each of those gets a section here.
Whether you are in the North Valley or the Northeast Heights, ABQ Landscape Co takes on seasonal cleanup with in-house lawn mowing and tree service help, and (505) 630-1309 or get a free quote starts the conversation.
How much does leaf removal and yard cleanup cost in Albuquerque?
We don’t publish a flat price, because the quantity of material and the access to it vary too much from one yard to the next. Lot size, how overgrown things are, the volume to haul, and whether it is a one time reset or a recurring visit set the number. We quote after seeing the property.
The biggest factor is usually elapsed time. A yard that is kept up is priced as routine work. A yard left for a year or more is a reclamation job, with the debris volume and labor that implies. Storm damage can turn a routine visit into a heavier one. Access counts too, since everything removed has to be carried to a truck or a curb.
A few cost lines belong on any cleanup quote, from anyone. They are the labor on site, the haul-away or disposal route, any City fee for pickup, and the items excluded. Our pricing guide explains how to compare bids and why a scope with exclusions listed is worth more than a low number without them.
When does the City of Albuquerque pick up green waste?
The City’s Solid Waste Management Department offers residential curbside green waste collection at no additional charge two times each year. Its green waste page lists the fall event as November 30 to December 11. Put material at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your regular trash day, and call 311 for a missed pickup.
The City processes what it collects into a rough chip mulch used against erosion at the Cerro Colorado Landfill. The rules for collection events, as listed on the City page, are these:
- Green waste has to sit 5 feet away from trash and recycling containers.
- Leaves, grass and brush go in trash bags, and no bag may weigh more than 40 pounds.
- Branches are cut to four foot lengths and bundled securely.
- Dirt, debris, gravel, construction material and tree stumps are not picked up.
- Green waste never goes in the recycling cart.
Dates and rules can change from year to year, so check the City’s green waste page or call 311 or (505) 768-2000 before you bag anything. If your cleanup falls outside an event window, you still have options, which the next sections cover.
Can I put leaves and yard waste in my regular trash bin?
Yes, as long as it fits inside the bin with the lid closed. The City won’t collect a bin whose lid is open from excess waste. Green waste in the trash isn’t processed for reuse and goes to the Cerro Colorado Landfill. It must never go in the recycling cart, or that bin is not collected.
That is the quiet cost of using the trash bin: the material is buried instead of becoming mulch. For a small cleanup it is the easy path. For a large one the bin fills quickly, and a full cottonwood yard can exceed several weeks of capacity in a single afternoon. That is when a scheduled collection, a drop-off trip or a hauler becomes the better answer.
What if my yard waste doesn’t fit in the bin?
The City picks up bagged green waste at the curb any time of year for a $59.31 fee, for material that doesn’t fit in your normal trash bin. Bags can’t weigh more than 40 pounds each, branches are cut to four feet and bundled, and you schedule by calling 311.
You can also take green waste to any of the City’s three Convenience Center locations, which the City encourages for large volumes. The fee and the rules are on the City’s site, and they are the figures to use when you compare an outside quote against doing it yourself. If a quote includes hauling, ask what it covers and where the material goes, because that line is the part that changes most between companies.
What does our yard cleanup process look like, step by step?
We walk the yard with you, agree what is in and out of scope, clear debris and weeds, cut back dead growth, reset gravel and basins, and run the irrigation zones while everything is visible. Each step ends with a decision from you, and the haul-away route is written into the scope.
- Walk the yard and agree the scope. We note debris volume, weeds, overgrown plants, gravel condition and access. You decide what is in scope and what stays as is.
- Clear debris and green waste. Leaves, branches, blown litter and dead material come out of beds, along fences and against walls where it piles deepest. You decide whether it goes to the curb pickup, a convenience center or a haul-away.
- Weed gravel, beds and joints. Weeds come out of gravel, crusher fines and paving joints before they seed, so the next visit is smaller.
- Cut back and tidy. Overgrown shrubs, grasses and perennials are cut back to shape and dead growth is removed. You choose how far to cut each plant.
- Reset gravel, edges and basins. Displaced gravel is raked back to level, edges are redefined, and watering basins and swales that silted in are reformed.
- Run the irrigation zones. With the ground clear every zone is run and checked for faults, so a cracked line or a stopped emitter is found now, not in July.
- Hand over a written list. You get a short note of what was done, what was left and what to watch before the next visit.
The last two steps are the ones people skip. Debris hides what needs finding: a cracked drip line, an emitter that has stopped, a basin that has silted up, or a plant that is starting to fail. A cleanup is the best chance in the year to look at all of them at once.
When is the best time of year for yard cleanup in Albuquerque?
Spring, after the wind season, and again after the monsoon, with a fall pass for leaves ahead of the City’s winter collection event. Albuquerque yards collect material from wind and storms as much as from leaf drop, so the calendar follows weather rather than a single autumn date.
Spring is for winter debris and whatever the wind delivered. It is also when to confirm irrigation is sound before the heat arrives, since a failed emitter kills a plant in days rather than weeks once it is hot. After the monsoon, storm debris and the weed flush both arrive, and gravel and basins move out of place. Fall is for leaves and for cutting back before the cold. Properties with mature trees, heavy wind exposure, or ground that collects runoff from higher up tend to do better on recurring visits than on two large resets a year.
What do cottonwood and elm yards need?
They need scheduled leaf removal and a plan for the volume. North Valley lots run along the river with acequias and big mature cottonwoods, and Corrales has cottonwoods along the bosque. Leaf drop on those lots is substantial and doesn’t clear itself, so one visit a year leaves a long stretch of bad weeks.
On those properties the useful routine is a recurring visit through the heavy drop, with ditch line weeds and bed refresh folded in. Cottonwood and elm also drop limbs, which is a tree trimming question, not a cleanup one. If you are looking up at a limb over the roof or the drive, read our tree trimming page and have it looked at before the storm season, not after it.
Why does debris in gravel cause weeds?
Leaves, dust and wind blown material settle into gravel and crusher fines and slowly build a thin soil layer on top of the weed barrier. Weeds germinate in that layer, above the barrier that was meant to stop them. That is why a gravel yard that stayed clean for two years can suddenly not.
Adding more barrier underneath never fixes it. Clearing the layer before it establishes costs a fraction of dealing with what grows in it. Edging also matters, since material that migrates over a border ends up in drains and on paths. The desert landscaping page covers depth and edging for new gravel areas.
What else should a cleanup visit check?
Water. Run each irrigation zone and look for broken heads, stopped emitters, pulled tubing and water reaching pavement. Albuquerque treats water that leaves your property as water waste at any hour, and a malfunction has to be explained to the Water Authority within 48 hours once it is observed.
The fee ladder on a residential meter under 1.5 inches is a warning first, then $20, $50 and $100. Spray irrigation between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. from April 1 through October 31 is water waste, and drip, bubblers and hand watering are exempt. The watering rules page covers the full set. A cleanup visit is a cheap moment to walk each zone and write down what you saw.
What does a typical yard cleanup look like?
The three scopes below are typical, written to show how a cleanup plan reads on different properties. They aren’t past jobs and none carries a price, because quantity and access decide the figure on the real yard. Each one lists what the owner decides.
A typical spring reset on a gravel yard
Winter and wind debris is cleared from walls, fence lines and shrub bases, weeds are pulled from the gravel, displaced rock is raked level, and the drip zones are run to find any stopped emitters. The owner decides whether to top up thin gravel and whether to move to a recurring visit after the monsoon.
A typical valley lot with heavy leaf drop
A North Valley lot with mature cottonwoods needs repeated visits through the drop, with ditch line weeds cleared and beds refreshed on each. Green waste goes to the City’s pickup or a haul-away, and the scope states which. The owner decides how many visits fit the season and whether any limb work is added.
A typical storm cleanup
After a monsoon storm, broken limbs, litter and washed in gravel are cleared, silted basins are reformed, and the irrigation is checked for damage. The owner decides which plants to cut back hard and which to leave until they show new growth.
How do I get ready for the City’s green waste collection?
Bag leaves, grass and brush in trash bags under 40 pounds each, cut branches to four foot lengths and bundle them tightly, and set everything at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your trash day, 5 feet away from your containers. Skip dirt, gravel, construction material and stumps, which the City leaves behind.
A short checklist keeps the morning from going wrong:
- Confirm the collection dates on the City’s green waste page, since the event window changes with the season.
- Bag in small batches. A wet bag of cottonwood leaves weighs more than it looks, and an overweight bag is one the crew can refuse.
- Tie branches in bundles you can lift with one hand on each end.
- Keep the pile off the recycling cart, because a recycling bin with green waste inside is not collected.
- Call 311 the same day if your pickup is missed.
What yard material can’t go out at all?
The City’s green waste collection doesn’t take dirt, debris, gravel, construction material or tree stumps. Those need a different route: reuse on site, a Convenience Center trip, or a hauler. Anything bagged with those materials mixed in risks being left at the curb, so keep the piles separate from the start.
Gravel is the one that surprises owners during a desert yard cleanup. Raking displaced gravel back into place is almost always cheaper than moving it out, and any gravel that does leave the property has to be handled outside the green waste program. Stumps and large trunks come out of tree work, so the scope for any tree job should say who removes them and where they go.
What happens to the leaves after the City collects them?
The City processes collected green waste into a rough chip mulch and uses it to help prevent erosion at the Cerro Colorado Landfill. Green waste put in the regular trash bin is not processed for reuse and is dumped at that landfill, so the curbside event is the more useful route.
You can also keep leaves on site as mulch. A desert bed does well under a layer of organic mulch, and the Water Authority’s xeriscape rebate requires at least 3 inches of mulch over soil between plants, with a separate bulk organic mulch rebate available on top. Shredded leaves won’t replace the depth a converted bed needs, but they do fill thin spots. The pricing guide shows the rebate conditions in full.
How do I know if my yard needs a cleanup or a bigger reset?
A yard that was cleared last year and has a normal amount of debris is a cleanup. A yard left for a year or more, with weeds seeding in gravel, dead plants and a buried drip line, is a reset. The difference decides how many visits, how much haul-away and whether the work should be staged.
Large or badly overgrown lots are often better staged. Bulk clearing and haul-away come first, then detailed work on beds and plantings once the ground is visible. If a larger project is on your mind, such as a conversion or an irrigation change, clear first. Planning against a yard you can actually see gives a better result, and it lets the probing of caliche and the zone check happen with the ground open.
What should a written cleanup scope list?
It should name the areas covered, the tasks in each area, the number of visits, where the green waste goes and who takes it there, and what is excluded. Anything not inspected stays on the page as an open item. A scope like that lets you compare two quotes line by line instead of by total.
Ask four things of any cleanup bid. Does it say how debris leaves the property, by City pickup, a drop-off trip or a haul-away? Does it list stumps, gravel and dirt separately, since the City program won’t take them? Does it say what happens if the job runs larger than the walk-through suggested? And does it name who checks the irrigation, so a broken line found under the debris has an owner and a next step?
Where do we handle yard cleanup around Albuquerque?
We work across the city and the communities around it, including the areas listed below. Debris type, lot size and haul-away routes all differ by neighborhood, so every visit starts from the property itself, and the written scope records what that particular yard needed.
- North Valley: mature cottonwoods and heavy leaf volume.
- Corrales: acreage and ditch line weeds.
- Rio Rancho, South Valley, Sandia Heights and Placitas.
What should I prepare before I call?
Take a few photos of the debris, the gravel and the areas that worry you most. Note whether it is a one time reset or something you want on a schedule. Mention anything blocking access, such as a narrow gate. We can then give you a useful answer on the first call.
Call (505) 630-1309 or use the free quote form, and we’ll write the scope, the haul-away route and the exclusions before any work starts.
Sources
City of Albuquerque Solid Waste Management Department: green waste collection and drop-off. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority: water waste overview and enforcement.
Who does yard cleanup in Albuquerque, NM?
Albuquerque homeowners can use the City’s curbside green waste collection, drive material to a City Convenience Center, or hire a landscaping company to clear, haul and tidy the yard. A hired crew makes sense when the volume is large, the yard has been left for a season, or gravel and drip lines need attention.
To book a walk-through, call (505) 630-1309 or use the free quote page.
What is included in a yard cleanup in Albuquerque?
A full yard cleanup removes leaves, brush and blown debris, pulls weeds from gravel and beds, cuts back dead growth, rakes displaced gravel level and checks the irrigation zones. A written scope should also say where the material goes and what was left alone, so you know the job is finished.
Anything not on the list is an extra, so ask for exclusions in writing.
How much does a yard cleanup cost in Albuquerque?
There is no flat rate, because volume, access and how long the yard has sat set the number. The one published figure is the City’s $59.31 fee for curbside pickup of bagged green waste outside collection events. A contractor quote adds labor and haul-away on top of that.
Compare bids using the pricing guide, and make sure each lists labor, disposal and exclusions.
Can I get free yard waste pickup in Albuquerque?
Yes, twice a year. The City’s Solid Waste Management Department collects residential green waste at the curb at no extra charge, with the fall event listed as November 30 to December 11. Set bags out by 7:00 a.m. on your regular trash day, keep them 5 feet from carts, and cap each bag at 40 pounds.
Cut branches to four-foot lengths and bundle them. Dirt, gravel and stumps are not taken. Call 311 about a missed pickup.
What should I do with cottonwood and elm leaves in Albuquerque?
Bag them to the City’s rules, put them out during a green waste event, or use the pay-per-pickup curbside option. Do not put leaves in the recycling cart, because the City will not collect a bin with green waste inside. Leaves in the trash bin go to the landfill, not to mulch.
Heavy cottonwood lots in the North Valley and Corrales usually need a recurring visit through the fall drop rather than one big reset.
Is water waste a problem during an Albuquerque yard cleanup?
It can be. Water that leaves your property is water waste at any hour, and a broken sprinkler found during cleanup must be explained to the Water Authority within 48 hours once it is observed. Residential fees run $20, $50, then $100 after a warning, so run every zone while the ground is clear.
The watering restrictions page has the full set of rules.
Invite us to the yard. We review sun, soil and slope, and you receive a written price for seasonal cleanup that stands on its own; get a free quote, or reach (505) 630-1309.
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Get a Free QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
What should be mapped before yard-cleanup scope begins in Albuquerque?
Start with the actual work area: mark irrigation coverage, drainage paths, sun exposure, access limits and any hard ground encountered on site. That field map keeps the yard-cleanup scope scope tied to this property instead of a neighborhood assumption.
How should the Project Plan record Albuquerque yard-cleanup scope decisions?
The scope should name the measured areas, preparation method, selected materials, water-zone changes, cleanup responsibility and exclusions. Any soil or irrigation condition that has not been inspected should remain an open item rather than being priced as a certainty.
Which site finding can change an Albuquerque yard-cleanup scope plan?
A buried hard layer, uneven irrigation coverage or an unexpected drainage route can change preparation and sequencing. The property walk should identify which finding controls the next decision before materials or dates are committed.