Every winter, New Mexicans head outside to prune trees, rake leaves, clean up flower beds, and take down their Christmas decorations.

Unfortunately, much of that yard waste ends up in the landfill.

At Soilutions, we believe there's a better way.

Tree branches, leaves, shrubs, grass clippings, and even your Christmas tree are valuable natural resources. Instead of throwing them away, they can be recycled into nutrient-rich compost and mulch that help grow healthier gardens, landscapes, farms, and parks throughout New Mexico.

It's the perfect example of nature's cycle at work.

Your Yard Waste Is Full of Potential

When organic materials are buried in a landfill, they decompose without oxygen, producing methane—a greenhouse gas that's significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.

But when those same materials are composted, something remarkable happens.

Beneficial microbes break down branches, leaves, grass clippings, and other plant materials, transforming them into compost that returns valuable organic matter and nutrients back to the soil.

Instead of becoming waste, your yard cleanup becomes tomorrow's healthy garden.

Closing the Loop in New Mexico

At Soilutions, we work every day to keep valuable organic materials out of local landfills.

Each week, we recycle nearly 500,000 pounds of food waste from grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and other businesses throughout New Mexico.

The yard waste our community brings us is another important piece of that puzzle.

Together, food scraps, tree trimmings, leaves, and landscape materials are transformed into locally made compost and mulch that nourish New Mexico's soils—just as nature intended.

It's a true circular economy:

🌳 Trees and plants grow.

🍎 Food is harvested and enjoyed.

🍂 Leaves fall and landscapes are maintained.

♻️ Organic materials are recycled instead of discarded.

🌱 Compost and mulch return nutrients to the soil.

The cycle begins all over again.

What Can You Bring?

We make recycling yard waste simple—and it's completely free.

We gladly accept:

• Tree trimmings and branches (up to approximately 8 feet long and 18 inches in diameter)
• Shrubs and bushes
• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Weeds
• Other clean landscape trimmings

Please don't bring:

• Painted, stained, treated, or glued wood
• Trash or plastic bags
• Rocks or dirt
• Construction debris
• Synthetic materials
• Tree root balls

Keeping loads clean helps us produce the highest-quality compost and mulch possible.

Christmas Trees Welcome!

After the holidays, don't send your Christmas tree to the landfill.

Every year, our friends at Just Sprinklers host a Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Simply donate canned food to help local families, and they'll pick up your live Christmas tree and deliver it to Soilutions for recycling.

It's a wonderful way to support both our community and the environment at the same time.

Why It Matters

Every load of organic material recycled instead of landfilled helps:

• Reduce methane emissions
• Build healthier New Mexico soils
• Improve water retention
• Return valuable organic matter to the earth
• Support local gardens, farms, schools, and landscapes

That's a pretty incredible second life for something most people think of as yard waste.

Recycle With Us

Whether you're pruning fruit trees, cleaning up your landscape, or taking down your Christmas tree, we'd love to help give those materials a second life.

Free Yard Waste Drop-Off

📍 9008 Bates Rd. SE
Albuquerque, NM

🕗 Hours

Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM–4:00 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM–3:30 PM

(No appointment necessary.)

Today's yard waste can become tomorrow's compost.

And tomorrow's compost helps grow healthier New Mexico.