1. Find the documents first
Before anything is donated or thrown away, look for these. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's checklist for survivors includes:
- The will or trust, and life insurance policies
- Birth, marriage and death certificates, and Social Security cards
- Tax returns, and bank and investment statements
- Deeds, vehicle titles and stock certificates; check for a safe deposit box, where these are often kept
The CFPB suggests getting 10 to 12 certified copies of the death certificate; in New Mexico they cost $5 each. The person handling the estate files the final income tax return, and should look for any earlier years that were never filed (IRS). Shred documents with personal information before throwing them out; the City's blue recycling cart takes shredded paper only in clear plastic bags.
2. Tell the people who need to know
- Social Security: the funeral home usually reports the death. If not, call 1-800-772-1213. Benefits paid for the month of death and later must be returned: ask the bank to send back direct deposits, and don't cash checks. A surviving spouse may qualify for a one-time $255 payment (SSA).
- Credit bureaus: notifying one is enough; it tells the other two. Send a copy of the death certificate. A spouse or legally authorized representative has to make the report.
- Mail: to forward a loved one's mail, file a change of address in person at a Post Office with proof that you're the executor; a death certificate alone isn't enough (USPS). To cut advertising mail, register them on the Deceased Do Not Contact list through DMAchoice.org ($6).
3. Medications and needles
- Pills: Albuquerque Police substations take pills, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and pet medications, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take them out of bottles and foil packs and bring them in a sealable bag. Liquids, inhalers, injectables and syringes aren't accepted there.
- Take Back Day: the DEA's next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. Its site also lists pharmacies and hospitals with year-round collection boxes.
- At home: if there's no take-back option, the FDA says to flush only medicines on its flush list and put everything else in the household trash.
- Needles and sharps: put them in a rigid plastic bottle (not glass or a coffee can), label it "Contains Sharps" and seal it. You can then put it in a box labeled "Danger Sharps Inside" with regular trash, or take it to one of the City's sharps kiosks. The hazardous-waste center and fire stations don't take them.
4. Medical equipment and furniture
- Wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds: Adelante's Back in Use takes clean, working equipment and gives it free to people with disabilities and seniors. Call 505-341-7171 to arrange it. Drop-off is at 1520 First Street NW, Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and it picks up inside city limits for a requested $25 donation.
- Furniture and household items: Adelante's GiveABQ furniture bank, at the same address, passes gently used furniture to people starting over after homelessness or hardship. Call 505-341-4483 before dropping off.
Adelante is a 501(c)(3), so both of these donations can be tax-deductible.
Books, media and resale-worthy goods: a disclosure first
Josh Eldred, who runs this directory, also runs the two local services below. They're here because they handle exactly these things, not because anyone paid. None is a charity, so nothing given to them is tax-deductible; for a deduction, use a 501(c)(3) such as Adelante.
- New Mexico Literacy Project: free pickup of books and media in any condition across the Albuquerque metro, with no minimum. Clean clothing and household items can go on the same pickup, and there's a 24/7 book drop. Whole-house cleanouts are often free when resale covers the work; otherwise you get one flat written quote.
- Abq Reclaimed: free pickup in Albuquerque, by photo request, of resale-worthy goods such as tools, electronics, appliances, bikes, outdoor gear, quality furniture and brand-name clothing.
5. Paint, chemicals, batteries and electronics
- Household hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, pesticides, motor oil, batteries, propane bottles, fluorescent bulbs) is free to drop off for City and Bernalillo County residents at Safety-Kleen, 2720 Girard NE: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 505-884-2277 (City of Albuquerque).
- Electronics: the City recycles computers, printers, phones and similar items for a fee at the Eagle Rock Convenience Center. TVs can't go in the blue cart; they're on the Large Item Pick-Up list instead.
6. Large items and the rest
- Large Item Pick-Up is free for residential Solid Waste customers: furniture, mattresses, appliances, water heaters, TVs and more, up to about one pickup-truck load. Request it online or by calling 311 at least 24 hours before your trash day. Empty appliances and tape refrigerator and freezer doors shut (City of Albuquerque).
- Hauling it yourself: City convenience centers charge $5 per load for residents ($12 for non-residents). Eagle Rock (6301 Eagle Rock NE) is open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Montessa Park is open Fridays to Sundays only.
- A big cleanout: residents can rent a large dumpster from the City; call Solid Waste at 505-761-8138 for a quote.
7. The car
New Mexico's MVD offers several routes (MVD manual). An executor appointed by a court uses the court's order. Without probate, a claiming successor can transfer a vehicle from an estate worth $50,000 or less once 30 days have passed since the death, or a legal heir or spouse can use Transfer Without Probate. Every route needs an original or certified death certificate, and no excise tax is due when a beneficiary receives the vehicle without paying for it.
Last checked October 4, 2026. Hours and fees change, so call ahead. Still arranging the funeral? See what to do when someone dies in New Mexico and every published funeral price.