Liz Chapman from the Aspen environmental health department has been appointed to a state commission that regulates trash and hazardous waste.
Chapman and others on the Colorado Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission make the rules for safely disposing trash. She said it’s important work.
“You throw your stuff in the trash can, it goes away, and you don’t think much more about it after that,” Chapman said. “Well, that’s possible because of the work that everyone’s doing behind the scenes to make sure that those facilities are run in a way that protects the environment.”
Chapman brings real-world experience from her work to create local policy, including recent efforts to divert more construction and demolition waste from the Pitkin County Landfill.
In August, consultants on that project will present to city council on potential solutions for how to reduce trash. Ideas include financial penalties for throwing away construction material, and building a new sorting facility to help repurpose or recycle more.