Las Cruces resident Leesa Mandlman has perfected the art of recycling piles of leaves and weeds. She lines a trash can with a heavy-duty clear plastic bag, and then, she says, “You put the trash can on its side and just scoop the leaves straight back in. Tie it up when it’s full and slide it out to put at the curb.” Mandlman’s yard waste is always picked up by the Green Grappler.
It is critical that residents place their Green Waste bags in the street at the curb, away from vehicles, mail boxes, utility poles, and water meter boxes. The Green Grappler cannot pick up anything that is left on top of landscaping or anything else.
“It’s clear bags that our Green Grappler drivers look for when they are scanning the streets for the pickups of yard waste,” explained Robin Lawrence, Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) Solid Waste administrator. “If the bags are dark, we can’t tell what’s inside – is it trash or is it green waste? - so it can’t go into our mulch piles.”
Once a month, the LCU Green Grappler picks up yard waste from homes in Las Cruces and takes it to the Old Foothills Landfill at 555 S. Sonoma Ranch Blvd. to be recycled into composted mulch. The Green Grappler arrives on the same scheduled day of the month as your regular Grappler, but picks up only green waste including:
- Tree branches that are less than 5 feet in length and 5 inches in diameter; branches must be stacked at the curb.
- Grass clippings and leaves in clear bags.
Local home improvement and retail stores have the heavy-duty clear bags in stock.
Not sure about your Grappler/Green Grappler Day? Go to: https://externalforms.las-cruces.org/Grappler/Grappler.
NOTE: LCU is currently out of the free composted mulch that is made from residents’ green waste. It is expected to be available again within 2 to 3 months.
Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities. You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.