Changes in the swine industry and larger production facilities
have created concern over the disposal of swine mortalities.
Traditionally, swine producers had three methods of disposal:
burial, incineration, and rendering. Due to concerns of ground
water pollution associated with burial, economic and
environmental issues of incineration, and the disappearance of
rendering services to rural areas, new methods for swine
disposal must be developed. Composting swine mortality is a
method that has recently been developed and successfully
practiced. Composting offers an economical and environmentally
friendly way to dispose of swine mortalities, and recycle
nutrients contained in the animal carcass. Composting is a
natural process in which the animal carcass is degraded by
bacteria in such a way as to avoid air and water pollution. The
process of composting dead animals uses bacteria and fungi to
decompose the carcass in an aerobic environment. By providing
oxygen, the microbes are able to decompose the animal with