Aspen City Council approves first reading of construction and demolition debris diversion updates

The Aspen City Council on July 14 voted unanimously to pass Ordinance 14, Series 2026, on first reading, adopting changes to Chapter 29.02 of the Aspen Municipal Code that remove the diversion compliance deposit requirement from the city's construction and demolition debris diversion program and exempt routine roof‑replacement permits.

The change follows staff's first‑year implementation review. Elizabeth Richardson, the city's construction debris coordinator, told council that projects tracked since the program began in 2025 have documented "over 12,000 tons of debris" and diverted about "80%" of that material from the landfill. She said staff has achieved compliance through plan review at permitting, contractor education, inspections and targeted enforcement, and that in practice the deposit has always been returned in full.

"What actually drives compliance is the required inspections as well as having staff monitoring these projects and enforcing unsorted load fees or stop work orders," Richardson said. She explained the deposit formula that produced minimum deposits approaching $49,000 and in some cases much higher, and said contractors and applicants have raised concerns about holding large deposits for long‑running projects.

Council members asked for more detail before second reading on two points Richardson flagged for follow‑up: (1) why certain roofing materials cannot be recycled locally (for example, asphalt or cedar shingles and some metal roof assemblies), and (2) where diverted materials are sent and how diversion extends landfill life. Richardson said staff will supply that information at second reading.

Council moved quickly to read and adopt the ordinance on first reading; the roll call vote was recorded as unanimous. The ordinance as passed on first reading removes the deposit requirement and creates an explicit exemption for certain roof‑replacement work, while keeping the remainder of the diversion program's review, inspection and enforcement structure in place.

Council set follow‑up questions for the second reading so the public can see how diverted materials are being handled and to clarify why some roof materials are excluded. If approved again at second reading the code change will take effect according to the ordinance's terms.

Outcome and next steps: Ordinance 14 passed on first reading; staff will return with the requested clarifications at second reading.