Disposing of Animal Mortalities

• Large Animal Mortalities
• Burying Large Animals
• Composting Large Animals

Land-filling Large Animal Mortalities

Land-filling can be an inexpensive (≈ $35/ton) and sometimes convenient disposal option for large animal mortalities, particularly if on-farm burial is not feasible. However, an accommodating landfill must be nearby. Most beef and dairy producers and horse owners don’t know which landfills accept dead livestock. This publication provides a map and phone numbers for Tennessee’s Class 1 landfills that are allowed to accept dead animals.

University of Tennessee Extension faculty contacted these landfills in fall 2010; the symbols in the figure below indicate which landfills will likely accept deadstock (many refuse to accept large animal carcasses, probably because of placement and covering regulations or odor concerns). The shaded counties in the figure below currently participate in a pickup and landfill disposal service with Appertain Corporation (931-363-8284). Otherwise, the landfills generally don’t provide on-farm pickup, so you’ll probably have to make arrangements to transport the carcass to the landfill. Call ahead to verify acceptance and follow these simple guidelines:

• Transport the dead animal to the landfill as soon as possible, preferably within 48 hours.
• Make sure the animal is completely and securely covered with a tarp during transport.
• Schedule the carcass delivery early in the morning for discreet offloading.
• Have a disposable but sturdy rope tied to the carcass for quick offloading.

[Click map for larger interactive view with contact information]
Landfills represented by squares will readily accept deadstock, those represented by diamonds denote landfills with restrictions (for example, only accepting from in-county farms), and those represented by circles are unlikely to accept deadstock. The shaded counties participate in a pickup and landfill disposal service with Appertain Corporation.

Contact information for Tennessee's Class 1 landfills
No.	County	Name	Phone
1	Anderson	Chestnut Ridge Landfill And Recycling Center	865-457-7810
2	Benton	West Camden Sanitary Landfill	731-584-7734
3	Blount	Alcoa /Maryville/ Blount Co. Class I Landfill	865-995-2892
4	Bradley	Bradley County Class I Landfill	423-476-8118
5	Clay	Upper Cumberland Landfill	931-258-3954
6	Cumberland	Cumberland County Landfill	931-788-6127
7	Decatur	Decatur Landfill	731-549-3567
8	DeKalb	Dekalb County Landfill	931-761-5588
9	Dyer	Dyersburg City Landfill	731-286-0450
10	Hamblen	Morristown Balefill Landfill	423-585-4805
11	Hamblen	Lakeway Sanitation And Recycling, Inc. Landfill	423-581-5655
12	Hamilton	City Of Chattanooga Landfill	423-344-9737
13	Hardeman	Bolivar-Hardeman County Landfill	731-658-6138
14	Hawkins	Carter Valley Landfill	423-357-6777
15	Jefferson	Jefferson County Landfill	865-397-3544
16	Loudon	Loudon County Landfill	865-458-2651
17	Madison	Madison County Development, LLC	901-872-7258
18	Marion	Marion County Landfill	423-942-8011
19	Marshall	Cedar Ridge Landfill, Inc.	931-270-0950
20	McMinn	Mcminn County Landfill	423-745-3244
21	McMinn	Meadow Branch Landfill Inc	423-745-6396
22	Montgomery	Bi-County Balefill	931-648-5751
23	Obion	Northwest Tennessee Disposal Company	731-885-1941
24	Obion	Alan’s Industrial Services Inc	731-264-5316
25	Pickett	Pickett County Landfill	931-864-3158
26	Rhea	Rhea County Class I Landfill	423-570-8920
27	Rutherford	BFI Middle Point Landfill	615-896-2075
28	Scott	Volunteer Regional Landfill	423-569-5702
29	Sevier	Sevier Solid Waste Inc.	865-453-5676
30	Shelby	BFI South Shelby Landfill	901-794-8071
31	Shelby	BFI North Shelby Landfill	901-794-3800
32	Smith	Smith County Landfill	615-735-1941
33	Washington	Iris Glen Environmental Center	423-926-8375
34	White	White County Landfill	931-761-7441
35	Williamson	Williamson County Landfill	615-790-0742

This information is further summarized in The University of Tennessee Extension publication W252, Land-filling Large Animal Mortalities in Tennessee.