Well-meaning residents and visitors take the time, effort, and expense to place pine needles into plastic trash sacks for pickup within the Village of Ruidoso and across Lincoln County. The surprise comes later when grapple trucks wont pick up the sacks. The pine needle pickup truck rules are simple: NO PLASTIC TRASH SACKS. Stack the pine needles in as big a pile as you can next to your property line or driveway, not under utility wires, not on another person’s property. Outside of Ruidoso, pine needles are not picked up next to vacant lots unless the owner has contacted the Lincoln County Solid Waste office first. Other forest waste can be mixed in the pile if it is four feet long or less. No stumps and no lumber or other waste. Save your plastic sacks for something else.
If there is a question about how to properly dispose of pine needles and other forest slash, call 378-4697 in Lincoln County, 434-6171 in Otero County or toll free 1-877-548-8772, or email lcswa@valornet.com.
