It's a record-breaking year in Aspen, and that's a big problem at the Pitkin County landfill. The landfill just 5 years ago was projected to have capacity to 2038. Now, the timeline has been shortened to 2025.

Cathy Hall, the solid waste manager for Pitkin County, points to the improved economy. Incoming waste has increased 71 percent since 2010, when Aspen was still feeling the effects of the Great Recession. Now, people are buying more, throwing away more, and tearing down more houses and hotels, she said at a recent meeting covered by the Aspen Times.