After being rejected last month, a yard waste composting business is seeking a new hearing for opening a facility in Warren County.

Warren County Organics LLC was denied a conditional use permit (CUP) from the county planning and zoning board in November. Robert Hamlin, owner of the fledgling composting business, had proposed opening a 4-acre facility on the North Service Road, just east of Wright City.

The planning board voted against a CUP because of concerns that odor or contamination from the facility would disturb nearby homes. Hamlin is appealing that decision to a higher authority, seeking a new ruling from the Warren County Commission.

In a letter protesting the ruling, representatives of Warren County Organics argue that the facility will be operated at the highest standards.

“Warren County Organics LLC is a proud member of the US Composting Council which is considered the gold standard for composting facilities and certification,” the letter states. “We will pride ourselves in providing Warren County with a composting facility that will divert organics away from the landfills and instead be composted for beneficial use.”

Hamlin’s proposal is to collect and grind yard waste into rows of compost, then sell the composted material as mulch. Hamlin said he has years of prior experience working at a composting facility in St. Peters.

The composting facility eventually wants to add food waste to its operation, but Hamlin said no meat or other waste that would cause a strong odor would be allowed.

A group of residents in the Forest Lake Subdivision, just north of the would-be composting site, strongly opposed the proposal. Residents were skeptical of Hamlin’s assurance that odor wouldn’t be an issue, and fear runoff from the compost could affect the health of the lake within their neighborhood.

Wright City officials also opposed the facility proposal, arguing that the county should reserve the property along I-70 for future commercial development.

The composting business’s appeal letter partly addresses those concerns, pointing out that the proposed site is currently zoned for agricultural uses, and that water runoff is regulated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The letter also references the county’s ability to grant a CUP with specific conditions or limitations that the composting operation would have to comply with.

Hamlin will have a chance to make his case in a hearing before the county commission in early January. Opponents will also have a chance to speak. A tentative date for the hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Warren County Administration Building.