I have a friend that lives in the city of St Louis and got the city called on her. The reason was she was composting and the neighbors didn't like the looks of it. She had 3 metal trashcans all lined up, one had shredded leaves in it, one had active compost in it and the other was she was just starting to fill. She also had three paper lawn bags full of wood shavings. Needless to say all of that is here now. One of the metal cans, the one with the active compost in it, had holes in it so I am letting that one finish as a worm bin. I hope to give her some compost this spring for her gardens. It is sad that some areas think they need to make rules like that. Oh the reason they gave her is she had to have them in a bin, not trash cans.
Even when I had a neighbor from Heck the city never said anything about my compost. She even called them on me because she didn't like the looks of my yard. Well no matter what I would of done she would not have liked the looks of my yard and I told the city that. They agree'd and after a tour of my yard/veggie garden compost area they liked my set up. Needless to say that neighbor has moved on to upset other people. My neighbors now all give me their yard waste for the most part so I don't have to worry. They must agree with my composting if they give me their yard waste. One gave me thumbs up on the day I hauled home the truck loads of horse stall cleanings. She knows how good that is for the soil, she grew up with horses, sister now has horses.

Sandy

We, gardeners, need to pay much more attention to the ordinances out local units of government pass because often well meaning people try to solve a perceived problem with a bomb instead of an arrow. We have ordinances around here that limit the height of any vegetation, that require all leaves from the previous year to be removed from your property by May 1 of the following year (even though the state prohibits putting "yard waste" in the sanitary landfills), that can be interpreted to prohibit good, common sense gardening.

I have had a compost bin in my suburban yard for probably 12 to 15 years. I'm a lazy composter but I do produce one nice batch per year. None of my neighbors has ever complained about my bin; only my husband complains that it's ugly. I keep it in the back of my yard so that even if it would get smelly it wouldn't be noticeable to the neighbors. None of them garden much so they only pass near the bin when cutting their lawns. Many of them think I'm nutty but are glad to give me their fall leaves to get rid of them. I also take their grass clippings on the rare occasion when someone bags them. I think this year I might plant some wintersown flowers around the bin to screen it some.

I also started wintersowing last year (flower seeds sown in milk jugs outdoors in winter). I think that confirmed for them that I am certifiable when I asked for their empty milk jugs and those started appearing on my back patio and front porch in the snow.

I have been blessed with nice neighbors.

Karen

Experience and observation has taught me that to open the door to scrutiny of any City Code Enforcer in my community and probably in most places around the nation is to open a huge can -no- a barrel of worms. So many of those self important, self appointed know it alls really have no back ground or basis to form good judgements about such matters and most times, common sense does not enter into the equation.

Don't get me wrong, I have only had one problem with them many years ago when they told me that I had to route a washing machine drain into the sewer instead of into the garden. I complied, they were happy, but I tell them nothing and have a screening fence between my garden and the front of the house. I would be concerned if any of my neighbors complained, but they don't, they seem to be happy and I am happy.":^)
Just my .02
Bill P.

Glad I live in a 'green' municipality which encourages the resdidents to compost!

Ignore, resist, ask them to sue and find a lawyer and sue over some type of harrassment. Be more of a problem than they are.

There is nothing green about my community. People send everything to the landfill. I would bet that most of the people in my huge subdivision have never heard of composting and don't know what it is. Other than myself I only know of one man who composts.

When I needed a new bin last year I called and emailed the township, county, city, (Cincinnati, the city which we border), the civic garden center, private garden centers, Home Depot, Lowes. Nobody knew where I could get one and some didn't know what compost is. Even the big garbage companies were no help. (They would save their landfills by providing them, or at least selling them). I finally found one, and only one, at Smith and Hawkin.

Karen

Karen

No one likes to be lectured but here I go. If you don't like the situation, then you must change it.

Well esther opal, you can quit composting if you want to, but I do not intend to. You can also fight city hall or go out and joust with windmills if you want to, but I do not intend to, unless it is forced upon me, and I am not expecting that to happen.

Changing the way things are is not a matter of "fighting city hall" or "jousting with windmills" but simply a matter of education. We, as organic gardeners need to educate people that do not know. We as environmentalists need to educate people about recycling.
Since the 1970's lessons on recycling and the environment have been taught in our schools, but recycling today is at the lowest level since then and all the old arguments against recycling are appearing again. Our legislatures have not changed the laws to make recycling more cost effective and in some places road blocks to recycling have increased and this will not change until people are educated and it is the responsibility of people that know to educate those that do not know.
We are the "government" but if we do not participate the people that do will get what they want which may be contrary to what we want and what is right.

Gone you miss my point, Kimmsr gets it.

I live in a moderate size town (25,000) and they are very green in their thinking. They have found out what it cost them to get rid of compostable waste and they even furnish compost bins made of wire mesh that cost about $ 75.00 if you had to purchase them. They buy them in large quantity and probably get them at a better price and furnish them free to residents.

No, I did not miss your point, and I am all for educating people, but perhaps just a little more realistic on what impact I could be likely to have on our self serving, small town politics in my location.

However, I might be able to get you and kimmsr on the agenda at one of the city council meetings if you want to fly in and speak before them. Be my guest.
Bill P.

Guess what your small town politics are exactly like everyone's small town politics. And, I know it is hard if not impossible to get others who do not share your passions to take up someone else's cause.
Do what you can
With what you have
Where you are

Oh, I do what I can, where I can and when I can. An example:
Another thread on here alerted that an upscale nursery, Calloways, is giving free soil tests on two samples. Their own website stresses the professionalism of many of their associates, and I think that is true, I have found them to be very helpful and knowledgable in the past. This morning early, I took my two samples in to submit and the guy that took them was very helpful and congenial. There were not many customers at that time of the morning so we had the opportunity to chat a little. I mentioned that while I thought that my soil was probably excellent from my ongoing ammending program, I wanted to see for sure just what the facts are to eliminate any guesswork. I went on to say that I had some new tires on one of my trailers and had just rewired the lights yesterday so that it was ready to roll to go down to Ben Wheeler so that my sis in law could load up some of that prime, aged horse manure that she has an abundance of. His next question was "Aren't you afraid of getting weed seeds?" My response was "Why should I be, these horses probably have not even seen many weeds in their lifetime, most of them are stabled and are fed the finest of feed that does not contain weed seed, so where would they come from ??
He said I see your point, I have just always heard that horse manure contained lots of weed seed and when people ask me about the advisability of getting some free horse manure that is available to them, I have been cautioning them about the weed seed.

I know that the mere mention of horse manure conjures up visions of a sea of weeds to many people who really have no first hand, personal experience with it, and believe the stuff that they find so common in print, and I do not know if my discussion with this gentleman will stop him from perpetuating this fallacy, but I did what I could.

I also know that some horse manure may contain some weed seed, and if someone has a pore ol hoss that has nothing much to eat but weeds, all the seeds ain't gonna be digested on the trip thru the horse. However, in a warm moist environment, many that do survive the trip may sprout and expend their energy without ever having the opportunity to take root, and if a few do come up in a garden, mulch will usually take care of them or they are easy to pull up or hoe down. Dosie do! ":^)
Bill P.