Arlington Hts. shaping compost ordinance

A proposed ordinance allowing composting in Arlington Heights is expected to be approved by the Environmental Commission next month and sent to the village board for consideration.

Compost bins should be allowed to sit on rear or side property lines if they are 25 feet from any neighbor’s residence, commissioners agreed after hearing from Mike Dennehey, a member of the Arlington Heights Garden Club.

On lots that don’t allow that distance from all other residence, they should be set 5 feet back from the owner’s property line.

No compost bin or enclosure will be larger than 5-by-5-by-5 feet, and a maximum of three containers will be allowed on lots of one-half acre or smaller.

Except for sheet composting, which is defined as grass clippings or chopped up leaves, composting must be done in enclosures or bins.

Allowable materials to go in the bins include yard waste, shredded paper, fruit and vegetables and small amounts of fertilizer. Items not allowed include meat, bones, treated wood and manure.

The commission met recently with master gardeners to get their input after Diane Bolash complained to the village board in February that an earlier proposed ordinance would not allow the most common three-bin method of composting. That earlier proposal would have set a limit of one compost container per lot.

Composting is currently prohibited by ordinance in the village, said Jeff Bohner, environmental health officer. Commissioner Steven Sawyer said regulations are needed so the village can stop people who stack up their yard waste and call it composting.

The commission rejected a proposal from Amy Kitzmiller, a leader of the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities program in Arlington Heights, who argued it should be legal to compost meat and anything biodegradable if it is done properly in covered containers.