Dead Chicken Disposal Continues At Landfill

Dead chickens that have died or been euthanized as a result of the H5N2 Avian Bird Flu are still being disposed of at the Loess Hills Regional Landfill near Malvern, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

As of last week, nearly 28 million birds had been euthanized in Iowa, primarily in the northwest and central areas of the state. Department of Agriculture spokesman Dustin Vande Hoef said the disposal process is on-going. with the utilization of composting, on-site burial, incineration and landfills. Vander Hoef said a large incinerator at a Cherokee landfill is currently operational and processing approximately seven loads a day.

“Adjustments are being made to increase capacity (for the incinerators),” Vande Hoef said.

The landfill in Mills County, privately owned and operated by Iowa Waste Management, and one in Sioux County are accepting dead birds being transported in bio-hazard bags and containers. Mills County Emergency Management Director Larry Hurst said a private company, Clean Harbors, is overseeing the transportation of the birds and disposal at the two landfills. The birds are being transported on routes approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

“They have various types of trucks, including semis and other apparatus,” Hurst said “They also have a decon / spill cleanup team that responds to any accidental spills.”

Officials from the Loess Hills Regional Landfill said they’ve taken steps to ensure public safety, noting that trucks transporting the dead chickens are sanitized by Clean Harbor crews before and after the bio-hazard bags are loaded and disposed of at the landfill.