Des Moines permits residents to compost organic yard and kitchen material on their property, provided it is suitably contained. Yard debris — grass clippings, leaves, and garden waste — is excluded from the city's solid-waste disposal prohibitions when composted properly.
Des Moines Municipal Code Chapter 98 (Solid Waste), Sections 98-74 through 98-76, excludes from the definition of 'solid waste' any reasonable amount of organic material gathered and suitably contained for composting or fertilizing agricultural or floral plots. Yard debris (grass clippings, leaves, garden waste, brush, and tree branches or trimmings two inches or less in diameter) is likewise excluded. Compost bins must be maintained in a manner that does not create a nuisance, odor, or vector-attraction condition. Metro Waste Authority also provides free Grow Gold compost drop-off services as a supplemental program.
Composting that creates a nuisance, odor, or attracts vectors may be cited under Ch. 42 nuisance provisions. Fines vary; repeated offenses may require abatement at the owner's expense.
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Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA
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