With economic success comes solid waste

The economy of Aspen, Colorado, buoyed by skiers and vacationers, has recovered this decade after the 2008-2010 downturn, which also has meant a boost in business for the nearest landfill.

According to an August 2017 online article by the Summit Daily, the Pitkin County Landfill near Aspen, which formerly was projected to be able to accept waste until 2038, may instead need to close in 2025.

The article quotes the county’s solid waste manager as saying Aspen’s economy has improved to the extent that 71 percent more waste is likely to be generated in the county in 2017 compared to 2010.

The county solid waste manager, Cathy Hall, cites construction and demolition materials as one reason, pointing to a single hotel demolition project that put “as much waste into the landfill as 3,000 people normally produce in a year.”

The Summit Daily says county officials are gathering information concerning expanding the landfill, determining which landfills in adjacent counties may be able to accept shipments of waste generated in Aspen, and studying how to reduce waste or divert it from the landfill.