Aspen, Colorado, considers new composting and waste reduction policies

As part of an eight-year effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Aspen, Colorado, is considering the implementation of waste reduction and climate action policies that would mandate composting and require developers to divert construction materials from the local landfill.

The move was promoted after Aspen climate action officials wrote a memo to city council explaining that that voluntary participation in climate and waste reduction programs is not enough to achieve the ambitious goals of the community and council.

As reported by The Aspen Times, over 58 percent of the material buried in the Pitkin County landfill last year came from construction and demolition (C&D) activities.

With current estimates suggesting that 79 percent of the C&D waste received at the landfill is generated by construction within city limits, climate officials believe municipal government could enact waste diversion requirements for new construction, require deconstruction for demolition sites or require recycled or repurposed materials to be used in new construction.

As for organic waste, a 2015 analysis of the waste coming from Aspen residents and businesses indicated almost 40 percent could be diverted to the compost operations at the Pitkin County Solid Waste Center.

According to climate action officials, organic material buried in the landfill is the largest contributing factor to landfill methane emissions. To combat this, they recommend council require food waste diversion in the commercial sector and mandate compost collection for residents.

“Local data from the SCRAPS composting program shows that approximately 5 percent of residents and 20 percent of the restaurants choose to divert compost and take advantage of the city-provided incentives,” the action officials said. “This aligns with the experiences in Fort Collins, Boulder, San Francisco and [Portland, Oregon] which did not see their diversion rates rise above the national average until they enacted mandates which required diversion as part of the waste management system.”

While Aspen has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent since 2004 according to the last published measurement in 2017, the city’s climate action team suggests the current best practice for local governments worldwide is to put in place policies and programs on a faster timeline and with a more aggressive, mandated approach.