Mountainair Selects New Trash Company

Over the September 5th and September 19th, 2023, Town Council Meetings, the Mountainair Town Council selected Universal Waste Systems as the new trash management provider for the town.

When Mountainair's waste management contract ended, two companies - Sierra Sanitation and Universal Waste Systems - started negotiating a contract with the town to handle residential and commercial trash hauling. Sierra Sanitation, LLC (while the company's representative, Florian Sanchez, reported the company as being from Socorro, it was actually registered as being in Belen) offered hauling to either the Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority landfill or a landfill located in Socorro. Sierra stated it would conduct trash pick-up for Mountainair's residential customers across two days and for commercial customers across a single day. Sierra said it would charge residential customers a $25 one-time fee and commercial customers a $130 one-time fee.

Universal Waste Systems of New Mexico, a subsidiary of Universal Waste Systems of California, guaranteed pickup for all residential and commercial customers across one day, and would not charge an administrative fee to customers. Universal Waste Systems claimed to the town council that it had no pending state or federal claims against it, a claim that was verified online with the Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department (however, the company did have two active tort cases involving it in the New Mexico court system). Universal Waste Systems promised two bulk item pickups for customers per year and committed to apportioning its Mountainair gross receipt taxes to the town of Mountainair rather than a different town in which the company did business.

Information has not yet been posted as to how residential and commercial rates will change for customers.