Many Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) maintenance facilities face a decrease in the availability of conventional methods – i.e., landfills and burial – for disposing of animal carcasses found along state-maintained roads and right of way. They need viable, environmentally compliant and cost-effective carcass-management strategies. 

Recent studies by the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, VDOT’s research division, have found that static windrow composting and in-vessel forced-air compost systems are useful and effective methods to compost these animal carcasses. However, VDOT needs more information regarding their costs and feasibility. 

This study will develop a decision table for VDOT maintenance facilities to use to determine the economic value of implementing a composting program. A VDOT composting guidance document, which will support the implementation of a composting program for interested maintenance areas, will incorporate the cost table.