Feasibility of Composting as an Alternative Disposal Method for Wildlife Vehicle Collision-Induced Carcasses in Colorado Department of Transportation Processes

Details

• Creators:
  DeMasters, Tim J. ; Shields, Maddie F.
• Corporate Creators:
  CORVUS Environmental Consulting, LLC
• Corporate Contributors:
  Colorado. Department of Transportation. Applied Research & Innovations Branch ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Alternative Disposal Methods Animal Vehicle Crashes Carcass Disposal Compost Decomposition Maintenance Mammals Photographic Materials Re-purpose Road Kill Soil Amendment Soils Sustainable Development Waste Disposal Wildlife Crossings

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  CDOT-2024-08
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Colorado
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  Colorado. Dept. of Transportation. Applied Research and Innovation Branch
• Abstract:
  The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Region 1 Environmental Unit undertook a pilot project that utilized roadkill carcasses as compost material. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) are the fourth most common type of vehicle collision crash in Colorado. CDOT maintenance staff are tasked with the removal of carcasses from the roadway to prevent further WVCs created by scavengers, eliminate roadside hazards for drivers, and to maintain public health through reduction in pathogens entering into the soil, groundwater, and aquatic communities. Successful carcass composting requires a carbon source (woodchips), a nitrogen source (carcasses), a microbe inoculum (hot finished compost), and water. The physical construction of the compost pile included a combination of these elements in layers, the depths of which vary by season to account for changes in ambient air temperature surrounding the pile. The project used a combination of active and passive composting over the course of the study. Temperature and soil moisture were collected daily to inform pile lifecycle status and pile actions needed. As the site location was not adjoining a CDOT facility, remote monitoring and photographic documentation was collected daily via trail cameras, and by CDOT/project team personnel whenever visiting the site. A total of seven compost piles were started and completed over the course of the pilot project, five of which reached pathogen reduction temperatures. This pilot project determined that carcass composting is viable within the dry Colorado climate, and with a few modifications to current CDOT operating procedures, adequate resources, and staff availability, it could be included in CDOT maintenance workflows to increase efficiency and lower roadkill work order costs.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  121.03
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b5d40342c9168c9d46fb9cb53169958e87918722d36a3bb425bbfee39d4f8d3e9c38ea16fa2004a9d35550ac3e7fcd66ca6355a311b60fdb1e63612fa09e2051
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89052/dot_89052_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.80 MB ]