Homeowners associations and property owners associations enact sometimes ludicrous rules and regulations on what their residents can and cannot do with their homes' exteriors.
The purpose of these associations is to protect property values and to manage shared amenities or land, according to CNBC. Homeowners in these communities pay monthly fees to the association, but they often face intense restrictions on what their lawns can look like and include.
Because of their focus on uniformity, these boards often disallow eco-friendly practices, with some banning natural lawns or even solar panels.
One Redditor's POA, for whatever reason, banned composting.
They shared a picture of their composting cages on the r/Composting subreddit. The poster said their compost is "tended to … fervently" and is behind a fence, seemingly hidden from public view in the backyard.
"POA rebel," they titled their post.
Composting is the recycling of organic material like food scraps, lawn clippings, and leaves. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the composted matter is created from the decomposition of its contents into a fertilizer for thriving plants and soil-dwelling creatures like worms, fungi, and bacteria.
It improves soil health, conserves water, and reduces food waste, among other ecologically beneficial pros. However, many HOAs ban composting.
When there are restrictions on something as environmentally advantageous as a simple compost bin, ecosystems may not thrive as well as they could with composted material. Additionally, homeowners like the Reddit poster have their autonomy over their own properties stripped from them.
HOAs are made up of community members on a board who host meetings where community members can raise concerns in a group discussion.
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Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden?
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Yes 💯 Attending one of these meetings is a sure way for homeowners to advocate for their sustainable lawn practices, although advocacy does not always equal change. For this reason, homeowners concerned with their HOA should study the regulations and check state government websites for restrictions on HOA rules.
Texas and Maryland, for example, protect citizens' rights to save water by composting within their HOAs.
Commenters on the Reddit post were angered by the unjust regulation and supported the original poster's civil disobedience.
"My property I'll do exactly as I please," one said.
Another said, "They just jealous because your gardens are so lush."
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