Aspen Waste Systems expands into Denver-metro market

Aspen Waste Systems, a privately held, Minneapolis-based waste and recycling collection company, has expanded its service footprint into the Denver metro market. The company has begun operations with a local office in Commerce City that will provide services across the Denver-metro area.

Aspen Waste is establishing its Denver operation through sales-driven growth rather than acquisitions, a model that has succeeded in its other markets. Denver is the first market outside the Midwest to be served by the 35-year-old, family-owned and -operated company, which also serves the Twin Cities and Rochester, Minnesota; Des Moines and Ames, Iowa; and the St. Louis, Missouri, metro areas.

Aspen Waste’s business is 80 percent commercial collection and 20 percent residential. The company says it enters each new market from the ground up with a focus on building local connections and culture. The Denver-metro market has become highly consolidated in recent years through acquisitions by large national companies and national private-equity investors, and Aspen Waste’s leadership identified an opportunity to bring another option to consumers and businesses in the market.

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“We’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to serve the businesses and residents across the Denver-metro area,” says Alexa Kircher Fang, daughter of company founder Robert Kircher, who joined her father’s company in 2015 and has served as its president since 2022. “Denver is a beautiful and thriving metro area, and we believe the way we do business—as a family owned- and -operated company with an unwavering commitment to customer service—will resonate with this community.”

Together with Executive Vice President Thor Nelson, great nephew of Robert Kircher, the pair is responsible for Aspen Waste’s day-to-day operations.

“From day one, our focus has been on providing superior service to our customers. We have industry leading, well-maintained trucks, equipment and facilities, and the exceptional service our drivers, sales and customer service staff provide to our customers has allowed us to outcompete the large national players,” Kircher Fang says.

Aspen Waste does not own any disposal sites and has built its company by focusing exclusively on hauling and service.

“It’s uncommon for a company of our size not to own any disposal sites, but we’ve built a successful company by keeping the focus on customer service, hauling operations, and doing what’s in the best interest of our customers, not owning and filling our own landfill,” Nelson says. “We’re excited to begin delivering that service across the Denver metro market.”