Don't bring out your dead

by Joshua Wood

It appeared that the Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) had some direction in regards to the dead animal pit from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) following their April 1 meeting. At the May 6 meeting of the district’s board, however, it seemed that the guidance from DEQ came with its own share of problems.

During the April meeting, the UPRSWDD had been advised by Craig McOmie of the DEQ that while the Saratoga landfill would no longer be able to take whole carcases, parts of an animal such as bones, hide and head could be placed in the construction and demolition (CD) pit. Further, Jody Weikart of the DEQ had informed the board that as long as a whole animal was composted down to hide and bone it could also be disposed of in the CD pit.

This, however, didn’t address the issue of area meat processors such as Merrill Meats. Schelby Merrill, whose husband Cade operates Merrill Meats, currently serves on the UPRSWDD board. While it was revealed that the UPRSWDD could send “incidental” amounts of animal waste to Laramie with their municipal solid waste, Cade informed the board that he produced approximately 2,000 pounds of waste a week in hide, bones and offal.

“Now, not only are we going to have wet trash, but we’re going to have animal parts that are going to smell … and flies and vectors. Which, I would define the vectors in that situation as all those ravens and magpies and stuff that are on the dead pit now,” said UPRSWDD Chair Randy Raymer. “How in the heck are you going to keep them out of that? How in the heck are you going to keep them out of it no matter what we do, even if they’re in the CD pit?”

Even with having an option for disposal of the hide and bones from processing cattle, it still left the issue of what the meat processors were to do with the offal.

“Maybe that’s something that they, as the processors, experiment with is mixing it with dirt or sawdust and turn it into a paste that it could come and go in the trailer or the dead pit,” Raymer said. “In the CD pit, not only are the birds going to be able to get to it, but the skunks and the racoons and stuff like that.”

At the April meeting, it had been suggested by McOmie that the district utilize a roll-off dumpster for the purpose of composting dead animals as a stop-gap measure. Raymer, however, stated that if the district were to pursue that option, the meat processors could easily do it themselves.

“If we’re going to do something like that, the processors could do that on their own. Because … let’s just say you got a 15-yard roll-off out there with 2,000 pounds of hide, bones and offal in it,” said Raymer. “Even if it’s mixed up so that the offal’s not leaking out of the roll-off. How often can that be filled so that it’s emptied? How do you keep the smell down and the vectors out of it?”

As the discussion continued, UPRSWDD member Leroy Stephenson expressed his frustration with the stop-gap measure that had been proposed by DEQ at the April meeting.

“That was one of the options that they had because they have no real answer about what to do with the dead animals. That was just their suggestion for a stopgap measure until they come up with something. They don’t even have any guidelines for composting,” said Stephenson. “We’ve been talking about this for 14 years and now it’s push come to shove and they got no answers.”

“We’re still back to square one where ‘What do we do with this?’ and the finish line’s coming up. Probably, in less than 30 days, we’re not going to be having a dead animal pit. So, we’re going to be putting it in the MSW trailer, at the very least, or the CD pit temporarily,” said Raymer. “That still leaves them no place to go with their offal.”

Stephenson proposed that any ranches that brought cattle for processing be encouraged to take the offal back to their ranch. In the case that a ranch wouldn’t take the offal back to bury on their property, which is allowed under DEQ regulations, they would need to pay the processor extra for taking it to the landfill. 

The meat processors, however, are not the only concerns for the district. Along with the large amounts of offal brought by the processors, state agencies such as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Wyoming Department of Transportation still bring whole carcasses to the Saratoga landfill. 

“Ron (Munson) brought up something about the game warden still bringing in and the State still bringing in dead elk and deer, one a week, and when we close the dead animal pit that’s going to stop. There’s no question about it. When the dead animal pit is closed, there will be no more whole animals delivered to the Saratoga Landfill. Period,” said Raymer. “Game and Fish and the highway department all have connections at DEQ and they’re going to have to figure that out.”

Time is running out, however, as dirt work on the landfill closure will have begun this week.

With few answers on how to move forward, the URPSWDD voted to include the discussion of the dead animal pit in their workshop that will have been held on May 12. At that same workshop, the district will have discussed changes to contracts for both the Saratoga and Encampment transfer stations prior to being put out for bid.

The next meeting of the UPRSWDD will be on June 3 at Saratoga Town Hall.