Aspen, Colorado, organic waste diversion ordinance deemed a success

In Aspen, Colorado, the Environmental Health and Sustainability Department has found success in reducing the city’s greenhouse-gas emissions through its Organic Waste Diversion ordinance, the Aspen Times reports.

The ordinance went into effect in October, requiring all businesses within Aspen city limits with retail food licenses to compost, donate or dispose of organic waste instead of placing it within regular waste bins.  

Three months in, Ainsley Brosnan-Smith, waste diversion and recycling administrator for the city, calls the program a success.

“I think it’s been very positive and exciting to see all the organic waste being diverted into these green bins as opposed to them usually going in the trash,” she tells the newspaper. “The feedback we’ve been getting from managers is that it’s easier than recycling because if it’s food, then it goes in the green bin. I think a lot of employees feel good about it because they’re able to help make a change in their restaurants as it relates to their environmental impact. So it’s been really exciting for us to see that this ordinance is working so far.”

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Brosnan-Smith and her team plan to conduct regular site visits to more than 100 restaurants throughout the Aspen area, checking to see if they need compostable bags, containers for the kitchens, outdoor containers, extra pickups, training or additional assistance.

One local organic waste hauler, EverGreen ZeroWaste, reported collecting 13 tons of organics on Christmas Day, as compared to collecting only 21 tons in the entire month of December the year before, according to the story.

“We are having an enormous positive impact on the environment by keeping our food out of the landfill because we are reducing the amount of methane that is being produced as a result of the anaerobic decomposition that happens within a landfill,” Brosnan-Smith says.

By Jan. 15, 2026, the ordinance will require all commercial businesses and multifamily properties in Aspen will be required to divert organic waste, followed by owners or occupants of properties within city limits doing the same by Jan. 15, 2028.