St. Peters, MO Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Section 215.010(J), added by Ordinance No. 7840 on July 27, 2023, defines composting as the controlled biological reduction of separated organic material to humus and warns that improperly managed compost can cause rodent, fly or odor nuisances. Paragraph 1 lists banned inputs for a residential plot, including meat, fish, bones, oils and grease, dairy, blood, barbecue ashes, cooked food, dead animals, magazines, municipal solid waste and treated lumber; paragraph 2 lists what is allowed, such as wood chips, leaves, grass and weeds, crushed eggshells, chicken manure, straw, coffee grounds, sawdust, and limited raw fruit and vegetable trimmings under twenty percent.

Paragraph 3 sets the physical standard: all residential compost plots must sit in a freestanding bin with a combined volume no greater than 125 cubic feet for properties of 10,000 square feet or less, with an additional 125 cubic feet permitted per additional 10,000 square feet, and no individual bin taller than five feet; the size cap can be waived for residential, neighborhood, subdivision or multi-family units with an approved management plan. Static piles without a bin are barred under paragraph 4. Setbacks are fixed at six feet from the rear or side property line and ten feet from any home, patio, pool or similar structure on an adjacent property, plus at least six feet behind the front building setback line, per paragraph 8.

Composting materials cannot be dumped into a drainage way, stream, pond or undeveloped land under paragraph 5, and maintenance to prevent rodent harborage and offensive odors falls on the owner or operator under paragraphs 6, 7 and 11. Composting under this Section is for private use only; commercial composting or sale of finished compost requires separate City approval under Chapter 235.