Albuquerque officials explain why it’s taking months to replace broken trash bins

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – When Albuquerque residents take out the trash, the city says everything has got to go into one of their big blue curbside bins, but replacing those bins has now turned into a big, months-long problem for the city.

“We don’t want garbage piling up on the street; that’s our number one goal,” said Alex Bukoski, spokesperson for Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department.

As many as three thousand people a month are asking the City of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department to replace their trash bins, but over the summer, the city has been struggling to meet that demand while facing a limited stock of new bins streaming in. “That’s shortened our supply that we have to get out to people, and what that’s done is made us a be little more cautious with the supply that we do have,” Bukoski said.

It’s even got the attention of Albuquerque City Councilors.

Story continues below

• Space: Rare comet can be seen in New Mexico sky, local experts explain
• News: Drafted New Mexico bill aims to change guidelines on how board grants parole
• News: Valencia County Sheriff’s Office releases footage of fatal deputy-involved shooting
• News: Some Bosque trails in Albuquerque to be closed for maintenance

“He’s been waiting a month for the trash cans, so, just wondering if we can get this issue resolved,” said Albuquerque City Councilor Klarissa Pena during a city council meeting.

The city said it’s waiting for 4,000 new bins to be delivered, and with a short supply on hand, they’re working to prioritize replacing the most damaged bins first. But with the high number of backlogged requests, it could be some time before those requests are filled. “We currently are about a month and a half to two months behind due to an order,” said Billy Gallegos, Director of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department.

While some have suggested the city is partly to blame for damaging the garbage bins they’re picking up, solid waste argued the damage is an unavoidable part of the job and their workflow hasn’t changed to where trash trucks are being rougher with bins. “When that does happen, we make every effort possible to get out there and make it right, but that generally is a small percentage of these replacement bin issues,” Bukoski explained.

The Solid Waste Department said it hopes to get that new order of bins sometime in the next two months. The department is also working to bolster the number of people they have on staff to replace trash bins. Right now, it’s a crew of ten.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.