Model Municipal Zoning Ordinance on Community Composting

This Model Municipal Zoning Ordinance on Community Composting, published by NRDC and ELI, is a template ordinance that can be adapted and enacted by a municipality to establish community composting as a permissible land use. For purposes of the model, “community composting” refers to composting at a smaller scale than industrial, sourcing organic material locally, generally engaging the community in the composting process, and using most or all of the produced compost on local soils. It does not, in this model, include on-farm composting (except for community composting facilities at urban farms and community gardens). While all types and scales of composting are beneficial, the comparatively small size and local focus of community composting offer additional community benefits.

The model provides language addressing five basic zoning district categories: commercial and industrial (in which community composting is zoned by right as a primary use); agricultural (by right as an accessory use); and residential and mixed use (conditional use). The model also sets specific standards that are necessary to obtain the conditional use permit (which is required in residential and mixed-use zones) and lays out other relevant provisions to regulate community composting as a land use, such as prohibited feedstocks. Where applicable, the model also requires that community composting be included in a municipality’s comprehensive or master plan in order to help secure its place in official visions for the municipality’s future.

The off-the-shelf version of the model is accompanied by a version with commentaries and a background memorandum, which offer alternative approaches and additional information to help municipalities tailor the model to their local circumstances.