Dead animals found on the side of the road in Hampton Roads are now being disposed of with an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient composting method.
After testing the new system, the Virginia Department of Transportation has set up a composting facility in Windsor, with plans to add another in New Kent sometime next year.
The composting system involves pumping out air from contained compost bins, which creates a host environment where microbes can thrive and help break down animal carcasses. The bottom of the compost bin is then covered with sawdust, and then the animal carcasses are placed in the bins and covered with a mixture of compost material.
Liquids from the decomposing carcasses are collected through drainage slots into an underground septic tank and recycled. When the bin is filled with carcasses and the compost-sawdust mixture, the bin is packed and closed.
The entire process takes about two months, said VDOT spokesperson Laurie Simmons. When the animals have been fully decomposed and integrated into the compost mixture, VDOT crews use the mixture as fertilizer for landscaping and on future composting bins.
Simmons said VDOT saves about $500,000 per year with this new system. Previously, VDOT workers brought animals to the local landfill and paid hefty landfill fees.
Test sites were set up in Salem and Lynchburg in 2013, and the $140,000 Windsor pilot site opened in November 2014, disposing of 75 animals since its opening, Simmons said.
VDOT disposes of an average of 200 animal carcasses each year from the Williamsburg area, a spokesperson said.
Statewide, VDOT removes an estimated 55,000 deer carcasses from its roadways, according to the animal composting pilot study.
If you see a dead animal on the side of the road, call the VDOT non-emergency number at 1-800-367-7623.
