BILL

Colorado Springs enacted tough building codes after Waldo Canyon, including banning shake roofs, lowering the number of roof vents, moving decorative grasses and other ammable shrubs away from buildings, and more.

Many re chiefs see the 2002 Hayman re, which swept up from Lake George toward the southwest Denver metro area, as a marker for a are properly recycled.

Timeline is di erent than other ballot measures ere are a few steps the city is doing in the meantime to get things rolling. First, a task force must be created. is group of 25 individuals will consist of stakeholders from entities that are regulated by the ordinance. ese include recycling centers, trash haulers, special events companies, restaurant owners, organics processors and building owners. Waste No More ballot sponsors will hold two seats, according to Tafoya. Rink said the task force will hold regular meetings for six months, beginning in March and the public may attend and observe. e goal of this task force is not to rewrite the ordinance, but to make recommendations for adjustments to state concise rules and enforce- new era in preparing for wildlandurban re ghting.

Waste No More will be enforced by the city of Denver with the O ce of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency taking the lead. But there is a lot of uncertainty about how the new law will work and it could be awhile before it is enforced.

Since Waste No More was a citizen-led initiative, the timeline for enforcement looks a little di erent than other ballot measures written by city council. One cause for delay can be attributed to the language the initiative used because it is not what the city would use.

Grace Rink, Denver’s chief climate o cer, used a tra c violation as an example. When a person gets a trafc ticket, there are speci c guidelines for how to appeal that ticket. With Waste No More, how it will be enforced is not written into the language, Rink said. Additionally, Rink added, the way it is currently written implies that an apartment building can be ned for not complying, but it does not de ne what the ne is or what an appeal looks like. erefore, Rink said, the bill must be revised, but the language on the original ballot cannot be changed for at least six months after the election.

“If we had just started this after the Hayman re, we wouldn’t be having this discussion today,” Briese said. “We would have re resistant roofs, we’d have all sorts of other things. So here we are, 20 years after Hayman, trying to play catch up, because the residences in the WUI have exploded in the meantime. e problem has gotten geometrically bigger and more complicated by inaction.”

Uniform codes could help address other growing problems for ment guidelines. ese regulation revisions must rst be approved by city sta and then presented to city council.

Ordinances working in tandem

In addition to Waste No More, other environmentally-focused proposals were recently adopted in Denver. ese include the “pay as you throw” trash pickup, which charges for land ll waste bins while recycling and compost are free; the Bring Your Own Bag program, which encourages reusable bag use by charging for disposable bags; and the Single-Use Accessory Restriction Ordinance which requires all retail food establishments to only provide single-use condiments and plasticware upon customer request.

A statewide Producer Responsibility Ordinance (PRO) was also signed last summer. e PRO will provide free and equitable recycling to all Coloradoans as well as encourage more sustainable practices from Colorado manufacturers.

All of these ordinances will work in tandem to accelerate Denver’s goal. “CASR, in partnership with Denver’s Department of Transportation & Infrastructure and the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment, recommends to divert 50% of all solid waste generated by 2027 and 70% by 2032,” according to devergov.org.

With regard to Waste No More speci cally, some businesses have already adopted the three waste stream practices.

Vital Root, a restaurant located at 3915 Tennyson St. in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood, has been o ering three waste streams for years. e restaurant has incorporated the use of compostable supplies, including takeaway containers.

One of the managers, Kathryn Begley, said it’s important to the company and the restaurant’s guests to be environmentally conscious.

“It is a big mission statement to us,” said Begley.

But the city needs to provide better education on how to sort waste

Coloradans, including nding affordable insurance — or even any insurance policy at all — for homes that insurance companies say are indefensible from re, bill advocates said.

Cutter cites studies showing that for every $1 spent on hardening homes and landscapes in the interface areas, between $4 and $8 in damage is prevented.

Slowing wild res from hopping from home to home and getting out of control in one part of the state makes a di erence hundreds of miles away, Cutter said, with material, Begley added.

Customers are receptive to the recycling and compost program at Vital Root, but Begley has noticed there are issues with people knowing what is compostable and what is not.

“Lots of people will send their whole trays to the trash, even though we have made an e ort to provide recycle and compostable bins,” Begley said. “ e general public needs better education.” e city is preparing to improve the education program to help residents learn how to properly dispose of their trash. Clear messaging in multiple languages, as well as the use of symbols, are part of these improvements.

Vital Root isn’t the only business struggling with material sorted by the public becoming contaminated. A1 Organics processes all the composting in Denver and has reported seeing glass mixed in with composted materials, Rink said. Unfortunately, this contaminates the material that can be composted so all of it has to be taken to the land ll. To combat this, A1 has restricted the material it will accept to just the basics: food scraps and yard waste only.

“Right now, everywhere you go the recycling signs are di erent,” Rink said. “It only adds to the confusion.” Rink’s goal is to provide the same information citywide. Whether it’s at school, a restaurant or at home, the same trash/recycling/compost signage will be posted throughout Denver.

“Education is key,” Rink said. “It’s one thing to o er the three waste streams, but if we are not using it right, it defeats the purpose.” implications not just for property damage but for air quality and other issues.

To learn more about the Waste No More Implementation Task Force, visit tinyurl.com/TaskForce-WasteNoMore. Deadline to apply to serve on the task force was Jan. 27, but the webpage has a meeting schedule, which are open to the public.

“If there’s a re in Glenwood Springs,” she said, “we can’t breathe in Denver.” is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Thu 3/02

Teague Starbuck @ 6pm Modern Brew - Kitchen, Coffee, Bar, 8221 S Holly St, Centennial

Shallow Side @ 8pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Wild Love Tigress @ 105 West Brewing @ 6:30pm 105 West Brewing Company, 1043 Park St, Castle Rock

Sterling Ranch, 8155

RMRR March 5th 9:00 am- 5K

Johnson Lake at Clement Park @ 9am / $10

8116 W. Bowles Avenue, Littleton

Mon 3/06

YouthTuber - Rooney @ 3:15pm / $176

Mar 6th - May 1st

Rooney Elementary, 2200 S Coors St, Lakewood. 720-996-0894

Modern Swing Mondays @ 6pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Tue 3/07

Culinary: The Luck of the Irish (16+yrs) @ 1am

Mar 7th - Mar 6th

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

ARTS: Coffee & Painting @ College View @ 5:30pm

Denver Parks and Recreation (CGV), 2525 S. Decatur St., Denver. 720-913-0654

Wed 3/08

Neil Z @ 7pm Earls Kitchen + Bar, 8335 Park Meadows Center Dr, Lone Tree

Scotty Austin @ 8pm

Wild Goose Saloon, 11160 S. Pikes Peak Drive, Parker HE$H @ 9pm

The Church Denver, 1720 S Alcott St, Den‐ver

Fri 3/03

Ninety Percent 90s @ 8pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia El Chaval De La Bachata @ 9pm / $40 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Sat 3/04

Blarney on Belmar @ 12pm Belmar, 439 S. Upham Street, Lakewood. janet@see-janet-work.com, 303-815-3504

Volleyball: Youth - IntroductoryAge 6 to 8 - Spring 2023 @ 3pm Mar 4th - Apr 29th

Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker

Fleming Mansion Walkthrough (for permit holders only) @ 6pm

Fleming Mansion, 1510 S. Grant St., Den‐ver. 720-913-0654

Cody Cozz @ 7pm

Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Dirty Side Down Band: Dirty Side Down @ Lincoln Station @ 7pm

Lincoln Station Coffee/Pizza/Music, 9360 Station St, Lone Tree

Wax Tailor @ 7pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Flag Football: Youth - Ages 12 to 14 - Spring 2023 @ 12am

Mar 8th - May 6th

Salisbury Sports Complex, 11920 Motsen‐bocker Road, Parker

Ladies Night @ 6pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Christine Elise @ 9pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Fleming Mansion Walkthrough (for permit holders only) @ 10pm

Fleming Mansion, 1510 S. Grant St., Den‐ver. 720-913-0654

Steve Bug: Into The Void @ 11pm

Wax Tailor @ 9pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, En‐glewood Sun 3/05

Void Studios, 1790 S Bannock St, Denver

Sandra Wong @ 7pm Swallow Hill, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo at 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 8pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan

Thu 3/09

Scott Bartlett/SBCreations: The Mad Souls w/ Scott Bartlett & Rick Monroe @ 8pm Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver