City Council Expands Recycling Access for Albuquerque Renters and City Facilities

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Tonight, the Albuquerque City Council successfully passed O-26-46, a critical sustainability measure sponsored by City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn of District 7. The ordinance closes long-standing gaps in the City’s waste management system, ensuring equal access to recycling for thousands of apartment residents and mandating that the City lead by example at its own facilities.

Prior to tonight's passage, the Municipal Solid Waste Ordinance exempted multiple-family dwellings with fewer than 25 units from providing recycling services. Additionally, it allowed responsible parties for complexes of 25 or more units to simply pay a recycling collection fee without actually making recycling containers physically accessible to their residents. O-26-46 eliminates these loopholes by amending Section 9-10-1-10 of the ordinance.

"For too long, thousands of Albuquerque renters have been denied the basic opportunity to recycle at home, while some larger complexes paid a fee without ever providing physical bins to their tenants," said Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn. "With the passage of O-26-46, we are closing the gap between basic legal compliance and meaningful environmental access. Just as importantly, we are requiring the City to walk the walk by mandating recycling at all municipal buildings."

The ordinance establishes new rules for recycling in Albuquerque that:

• Require property managers of dwellings with fewer than 25 units to establish a recycling collection program.
• Mandate that complexes of 25 units or more ensure recycling containers are physically accessible to all residents.
• Create a strict hardship exemption for older properties where on-site container placement is structurally infeasible - exemptions cannot be granted solely on the basis of cost.
• Adopt a new section, 9-10-1-13, which requires the Mayor to establish and maintain recycling collection services at all City-owned and City-operated buildings, with containers accessible to both employees and the public.

Implementation of the new requirements for City-owned buildings will begin within 180 days, while the changes affecting multiple-family dwellings will take effect by January 1, 2027.