HeyTaos · Living in Taos

How Trash Actually Works in Taos

Residential pickup, County punch cards, transfer stations, the Regional Landfill, recycling, dumpsters, and project cleanouts — explained in one place for people who did not grow up knowing the system.

Start with your situation

There is no single Taos trash system. The right answer depends on where you live and whether you want pickup or prefer to haul it yourself.

Option 01 I want residential pickup Compare Waste Management and Trash Burro. Option 02 I haul my own household trash Understand the County fee, punch cards, and transfer stations. Option 03 I need to recycle something Find cans, cardboard, oil, tires, batteries, glass, electronics, and more. Option 04 I have a cleanout or construction load Use the Regional Landfill or a project-hauling service.
If you live in unincorporated Taos County

The County solid-waste system applies to your property.

Residential structures in unincorporated Taos County are generally assessed the County solid-waste fee. That fee provides access to the County transfer-station system and the Taos Regional Landfill through the County punch-card program.

If you live inside the Town of Taos

Arrange trash pickup separately.

The Town does not bundle normal curbside trash collection into ordinary municipal utility service. Residents arrange private pickup or use the Regional Landfill directly.

Residential pickup

If you do not want to haul household trash yourself, these are two established residential options confirmed for the Taos area. Service days and road access depend on the exact address.

Waste Management

Conventional curbside

The Town of Taos directs residents seeking conventional residential trash collection to Waste Management. The Town setup information describes one 95-gallon cart with once-a-week pickup.

Cart95 gallons
PickupOnce weekly
Curb timeBy 6:00 a.m.
DeliveryUsually 5–7 business days

For current contact information, the Town of Taos resource directory lists Waste Management at 800-796-9696. The Town's older residential setup form and current FAQ also list the local service line at 575-751-0708 for service-day and account questions. Ask for current pricing, your collection day, road-service eligibility, extra-cart fees, bulky-item rules, and weather procedures.

Call Waste Management · 800-796-9696Local service line · 575-751-0708

Trash Burro

Locally owned

Trash Burro serves Taos County with a 96-gallon tote and concierge-style collection designed in part for dirt roads and properties outside conventional routes. It also offers residential recycling and remote-area pickup.

Weekly trash$50/mo
Every-other-week trash$40/mo
Weekly recycling$50/mo
Every-other-week recycling$25/mo
Weekly trash + biweekly recycling$75/mo
Remote-area monthly pickup$50/mo

Trash Burro says it has a Taos County franchise agreement, so qualifying customers in unincorporated Taos County may use the County's reduced solid-waste fee. Pricing above was reviewed August 23, 2026.

Call 575-376-5156 Sign up online

If you haul your own household trash

This is the system newcomers usually find confusing. In unincorporated Taos County, you are generally paying into the County system whether you self-haul or use a qualifying private hauler.

Standard unincorporated County household

$170
annual County solid-waste fee

Billed in four $42.50 installments. Each paid installment provides a 12-punch card valid for three months. The County says each card is valid for one-half ton of disposal.

Using a recognized private hauler?

The County currently publishes a reduced annual solid-waste fee of $42.50 for qualifying households maintaining service with a recognized commercial hauler. That reduced fee includes one six-punch card valid for one year.

County recycling fee

The County currently lists a $15 recycling fee. Accepted recycling normally does not take a punch from the card, except for tires.

Rule 01 Bring the current punch card

It is how the County verifies household disposal access.

Rule 02 Cover the load

Loads traveling on public roads must be covered by a tarp or another suitable covering.

Rule 03 Arrive before 3:45 p.m.

County transfer stations stop accepting loads at 3:45 p.m., even though posted closing time is 4:00 p.m.

Rule 04 Separate special material first

Batteries, oil, tires, appliances, cardboard, electronics, and other material do not all go into the household trash stream.

The eight County transfer stations

Seven locations are open Tuesday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Tres Piedras is Thursday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Last load is 3:45 p.m.

Arroyo HondoTue–Sat · 8–4

About 2.5 miles north on NM 522 to CR B-008, then west about 0.5 mile.

Map
CerroTue–Sat · 8–4

From NM 522/NM 378, west about 3 miles on NM 378, then west on CR B-038 about 0.75 mile.

Map
ChamisalTue–Sat · 8–4

South on NM 76 about 1.5 miles to CR C-007, then southwest about 0.75 mile.

Map
CostillaTue–Sat · 8–4

From NM 522/CR B-052, southeast about 0.5 mile; site is on the north side of the road.

Map
Los CordovasTue–Sat · 8–4

From NM 240/CR A-020, southeast about 1.5 miles. Recycling address: 184 Los Cordovas Road.

Map
Ojo CalienteTue–Sat · 8–4

North on US 285 about 1 mile to CR CB-110, then east about 0.1 mile.

Map
PilarTue–Sat · 8–4

Northeast on NM 68 about 1.5 miles. Site is on the east side of the road.

Map
Tres PiedrasThu–Sat · 8–4

North on US 285 about 2 miles to Forest Road 83, then west about 0.75 mile.

Map

What goes where

Taos does not use one mixed recycling stream. Start with the material below and expand only what you need.

Common recycling

Material with a reasonably clear local path.

Aluminum and steel cans

County material-specific pages say aluminum and steel cans are accepted at County collection centers and must be separated. Rinse food residue. Aerosol and spray cans are not accepted in the steel-can recycling stream. Because newer County planning material describes Los Cordovas more narrowly, call 575-779-8941 if you are making a special trip solely for cans.

Appliances and scrap metal

County transfer stations have white-goods/scrap-metal roll-offs. Refrigerators, freezers, and air-conditioning equipment need refrigerant removed before recycling.

Corrugated cardboard

Los Cordovas is the clearest confirmed public destination. Break boxes down and remove plastic and Styrofoam. Do not recycle waxed boxes or cardboard contaminated by food or oil.

Tires

County residents may dispose of up to four tires per year with the solid-waste punch card at no additional charge. Larger quantities can go to the Regional Landfill under its separate tire-rate schedule.

Special handling

Material that should be separated before you leave home.

Used motor oil and cooking oil

Accepted at Arroyo Hondo, Cerro, Chamisal, and Costilla. The County lists synthetic oil, transmission fluid, lubricating oil, hydraulic oil, and vegetable cooking oil. Do not mix with water, sludge, antifreeze, or gasoline.

Rechargeable and vehicle batteries

County battery guidance identifies Arroyo Hondo, Cerro, and Costilla. The Town separately lists rechargeable batteries at Los Cordovas. Because those public pages conflict, call 575-779-8941 before making a special trip.

Green waste and brush

The Regional Landfill accepts green waste. The County also accepts some clean yard material for chipping at its Highway 64 operations center and selected neighborhood/Firewise locations. Call 575-779-8941 before hauling to a County chipping location.

Paint, chemicals, solvents, or mixed fuels

Do not put questionable hazardous material into ordinary household trash. Call Taos County Solid Waste Operations at 575-737-3821 before transporting it.

Limited or unclear locally

Do not assume there is a routine drop-off.

Electronics

The County describes e-waste through collection events and transport to an Albuquerque recycler rather than a permanent everyday transfer-station program. Erase personal data and remove batteries first.

Plastic

The County's public plastic page still describes a planned rollout of #1 and #2 plastics in future-tense 2024 language. HeyTaos therefore does not treat plastic as a universally confirmed 2026 transfer-station stream. Call 575-779-8941 before hauling plastic specifically for recycling.

Glass

Taos County does not publish glass as a routine transfer-station stream. Broken Arrow Glass Recycling currently offers one-time collection for $75 for up to 4×4 cubic feet. Place rinsed glass in paper bags or cardboard boxes. Broken Arrow's current public pages give conflicting scheduling instructions: one says Taos/Española pickup is on the last Friday of the month, while the purchase page says customers will be emailed to arrange a collection day and time. Confirm the collection date when booking.

Book one-time glass pickup

Mixed paper

The County emphasizes corrugated-cardboard-type fiber and says broader household paper recycling depends on additional equipment and staffing. Do not assume newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cereal boxes, and office paper belong with corrugated cardboard.

Large loads, cleanouts, and construction

Roofing, remodeling, estate cleanouts, tenant cleanouts, and construction debris should be treated differently from ordinary household garbage.

Taos Regional Landfill

Town-operated public disposal site for municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, green waste, scrap tires, scrap metal, and sludge.

Upcoming closure: Monday, September 7, 2026 — the Taos Regional Landfill is scheduled to be closed for the Town-observed holiday.
Address24670 US Highway 64
Phone575-751-3577
Mon–Fri9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Saturday10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Large-load scale cutoff3:30 p.m.
Wind closure35 mph sustained

Direct-pay residential rate currently published by the Town: $6.56 minimum through 220 pounds, then $0.53 per additional 20 pounds. County punch-card users should follow County account rules.

Call landfill Open map

NM Mighty Dumps

Local dumpster and debris-hauling option for jobs too large or inconvenient for normal residential pickup.

Best forRemodels
Best forProperty cleanouts
Best forConstruction debris
Best forTemporary dumpsters

Published services include dumpster/bin rental, delivery and pickup, junk removal, post-construction cleanup, and hauling of building materials and debris. No standardized public price schedule was found in the material reviewed for this guide.

Call 575-741-1915 Instagram

If you need to call someone

Most routine questions are answered above. These numbers are for account problems, closures, unusual materials, and situations that need a current answer.

Keep these four numbers

Billing and punch cards go to Administration. Transfer-station and unusual-load questions go to Operations. Recycling and illegal-dumping questions use the County recycling contact. Landfill questions go directly to the Regional Landfill.

Solid Waste AdministrationBilling, annual fee, reduced fee, punch cards
575-737-6337
Solid Waste OperationsStations, closures, unusual loads, accepted material
575-737-3821
County Recycling / Illegal DumpingUnclear recycling streams and illegal dumping
575-779-8941
Taos Regional LandfillRates, scale cutoff, wind closures, large loads
575-751-3577

Information reviewed September 1, 2026. Rates, private-hauler prices, routes, recycling streams, and operating hours can change. HeyTaos uses Town of Taos, Taos County, and service-provider information and notes conflicts when official public sources do not agree.