Apply for the Waste No More Implementation Task Force

On November 8, 2022, 70% of Denver voters approved the Waste No More ballot initiative. By law, it must be implemented as written and no changes can be made to the ordinance for at least six months. The city is forming a task force to consider revisions to clarify the requirements, define the city’s enforcement process, and adjust the implementation timeline. The ballot sponsors and members of City Council will be on the Task Force, and any revisions must achieve approval from a supermajority of City Council (10 of 13 members). 

The City and County of Denver seeks representatives of the sectors directly impacted by the ordinance (i.e., office and apartment building owners/managers, food service providers, special event managers, construction companies), and other interested parties such as waste haulers and processors, small businesses, labor, environmental advocates, and residents, to serve on the Task Force. The Task Force will aim to operate by consensus, not majority rule, so it is crucial that all members come to the table willing to deliberate in good faith, receptive to new ideas, and ready to navigate competing priorities. City staff from multiple agencies will serve as technical advisors but will not be voting members. The job of the task force is not to rewrite the ordinance, rather it is to make recommendations to city staff who will then determine which recommendations warrant a revision to the ordinance, and which may be achieved through rules and regulations.

The Task Force will meet according to the schedule listed below, and members should expect 1-4 hours of additional reading or research between meetings. Members may have the option to join subject-specific working groups which would likely require an additional 2-hour meeting per month. Barring any public heath directives limiting in-person meetings, the kick-off meeting will be held in person only at the Wellington Webb Municipal Building (201 W. Colfax). A hybrid option will be available for future meetings. All meetings will be open for the public to observe.