10.
0 DISPOSAL OF FARM WASTE
10.1 Disposal of Dead Animals
10.1.1 Managing dead animal disposal
10.2 Disposal of Veterinary Waste
10.2.1 Sharps
10.2.2 Medicine disposal
10.3 Pesticides
10.3.1 Pesticide disposal
10.3.2 Pesticide container disposal
10.4 For More Information
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10.0 DISPOSAL OF FARM WASTE
Farm waste must be managed with caution On-farm dumps, though generally not
prior to disposal. Securely store waste in a recommended, can be used exclusively for the
closed, and possibly locked, area or container disposal of small amounts of inert materials.
to ensure safety for family, livestock, pets and The dump should be located on a naturally
wildlife. dry site, and be fenced to prevent entry by
children and animals.
10.1 Disposal of Dead Animals
Some death loss will occur on cow/calf Disposal of dead animals must occur within
operations, no matter how well they are 48 hours of death unless the carcass is frozen.
managed. Disposing of dead animals quickly
and effectively is important to reduce the risk Disposal of any animal suspected to have
of disease. It is also important in maintaining died from a reportable disease must be done
good neighbour relations. Carcasses can be a in accordance with the Health of Animals Act
source of disease if scavenged by wildlife or (Canada).
pets. Some of these diseases can then be
passed back to livestock or even humans.
Carcasses are also unsightly, a source of odour Refer to the Destruction and Disposal of
and a breeding site for flies. Dead Animals Regulation under the Livestock
Diseases Act, for details on regulations
The disposal options permitted in Alberta are: pertaining to the disposal of dead animals.
• Transportation to a rendering plant for disposal. A copy of this Regulation may be obtained
• Burial in farm pit. from the Alberta Queen’s Printer,
• Burning within regulations. www.qp.gov.ab.ca/custom_page, or
• Composting. through the AAFRD Web site at
• Sending to a Class I or II landfill. www.agric.gov.ab.ca/navigation/
• Natural disposal (except for animals that department/acts/index.html.
have been euthanized with drugs and
chemicals).
10.1.1 Managing dead animal disposal
Rendering • Use special storage bins or refrigeration
Dead animals must be picked up by rendering until the carcass can be picked up.
plants within 48 hours of death. The carcass
must be stored until pickup. Natural disposal
Natural disposal refers to scavenging. Do not
When storing carcasses: use this method when the animal is known or
• Select a site for the storage area close to suspected to have died from an infectious
the farm entrance to minimize the need for disease that can be spread by scavengers or
collection vehicles to enter the property. insects, or from a reportable disease. In these
• Use an area that will minimize the spread cases, dispose of mortalities in accordance
of disease. For example, do not store the with veterinary advice. Natural disposal is
carcass near a waterway or water body or also not appropriate for animals that have
where it will be easily scavenged. been euthanized.
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74 Beneficial Management Practices: Environmental Manual for Alberta Cow/Calf Producers
The Destruction and Disposal of Dead Burning
Animals Regulation contains the following Burning mortalities must be done in
guidelines for natural disposal: accordance with the Destruction and Disposal of
• The total weight of the carcasses disposed at Dead Animal Regulation. This typically requires
any one site must not exceed 1,000 kilograms. a certified, commercial quality incinerator that
• There must be at least 500 metres between produces a long term, high temperature burn,
disposal sites. sufficient to completely dispose of the carcass.
• The site must be: For more information, refer to the Substance
– 500 metres from wells, waterways and Release Regulation and the Code of Practice for
high water marks of lakes. Small Incinerators from Alberta Environment.
– 25 metres from the edge of a coulee, major
cut or embankment. Composting
– 400 metres from any livestock facility, Composting is a controlled, natural biological
including pastures that are not owned or process of decomposition of organic materials
leased by the owner of the animal. in a predominately aerobic environment.
– 400 metres from a residence. Composting of livestock mortalities is possible
– 400 metres from a road allowance. and is practised in Alberta today. Six to nine
– 400 metres from a provincial park, months is required to properly compost a
recreation area, natural area, ecological bovine carcass. The compost pile should be
reserve, wilderness area or forest turned every three months to ensure proper
recreation area. decomposition. Any animal parts exposed as a
• The site must not create a nuisance. result of the turning must be covered, as per
the regulations below.
Burial
Bury mortalities promptly to control odour, The Destruction and Disposal of Dead
insects and scavenging. Screen the burial area Animals Regulation contains the following
from view with trees, shrubs or fences, and requirements for composting mortalities:
locate it some distance from livestock. • The site must be:
– 100 metres from wells or other domestic
The Destruction and Disposal of Dead water intakes, streams, creeks, ponds,
Animals Regulation contains the following springs and high water marks of lakes.
guidelines for burial: – 25 metres from the edge of a coulee, major
• The total weight of carcasses in a burial pit cut or embankment.
must not exceed 2,500 kilograms. – 100 metres from any residences.
• The pit must be: – 100 metres from any livestock facilities,
– 100 metres from wells, waterways and including pastures, situated on land
high water marks of lakes. owned or leased by another person.
– 25 metres from the edge of a coulee, major • The site must be designed in a manner
cut or embankment. that will exclude scavengers.
– 100 metres from any livestock facility, • Each animal part must not exceed
including pastures that are not owned or 100 kilograms.
leased by the owner of the animal. • The maximum volume of the animals or
– 100 metres from a residence. parts of them must not exceed 25 percent
– 300 metres from a primary highway. of the total compost pile.
– 100 metres from a secondary highway. • The animals or parts of them must be
– 50 metres from any other road. covered by at least 15 cm of composting
• The pit must be covered with: material.
– A minimum of one metre of compacted
soil. Research is currently underway to determine
– A wooden or metal lid that is designed to if animals or animal parts larger than 100
exclude scavengers. Apply quicklime to kilograms can be properly composted.
the carcass in sufficient quantities to
control flies and odour.
• The bottom of the pit must be at least one
metre above the seasonal high water table.
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10.2 Disposal of Veterinary Waste
10.2.1 Sharps
Sharps are veterinary and laboratory materials – Use a puncture-proof container with a
capable of causing cuts or punctures and sealed lid for needles and surgical blades.
include needles, syringes, scalpel blades, Special containers can be obtained from
slides, coverslips, pipettes, broken glass and many local veterinary clinics. Containers
empty or expired pharmaceutical containers. must be labelled clearly as containing
There is a risk of needle stick injuries or cuts sharps and must not be used for
when these materials are not handled or recycling. A plastic jug with a narrow
disposed of properly. Certain drugs or mouth or a pail with a narrow opening
vaccines may cause reactions or infections if in the lid also work well. Do not use
they are present on broken glass or used containers that allow easy access to
needles that break the skin. Blood on used contents. Ensure children or animals
needles, collection tubes or other equipment, cannot remove the lid.
may contain viruses or bacteria that can cause – Use a pail or other rigid container for
illness following a cut or needle stick injury. pharmaceutical bottles and syringes.
There are currently no regulations covering the • Use disposal facilities that accept veterinary
disposal of sharps in agriculture. waste. This may include a local vet clinic,
hospital or waste disposal company.
To safely dispose of sharps: Contact a local vet clinic or hospital for
• Separate sharps from other waste. Injuries information. Labelled sealed containers can
can occur when handling sharps on the also be taken to Class II landfills that accept
farm or at the landfill. medical waste.
• Use a labelled rigid container for disposal of • Do not burn disposal containers.
sharps.
10.2.2 Medicine disposal
Medicines may need to be disposed of for rendered non-infectious before disposal to
various reasons including expiry, spoilage, or prevent the potential of the virus infecting
simply because they are no longer needed. workers or animals. This can be done by
There are two classes of expired medicines – freezing, autoclaving, burning or adding bleach
unused (unopened) and used (opened). to the bottle. When disposing of used or unused
Unused expired drugs can be returned to the expired medicines, do not attempt to empty or
point-of-purchase; many manufacturers will wash bottles – discard them with their contents.
take them back for disposal. Used, expired Consult a local veterinarian or pharmacist to
drugs can be discarded in the same way as learn more about medicine disposal.
sharps. Modified live virus vaccines should be
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76 Beneficial Management Practices: Environmental Manual for Alberta Cow/Calf Producers
10.3 Pesticides
Pesticides include herbicides, fungicides, seed and topical parasiticides (pour-on or
insecticides, rodenticides, pesticide-treated powders for treating parasites).
10.3.1 Pesticide disposal
Carefully dispose of unwanted or expired disposed of as hazardous waste. Names of
pesticides. Pesticides are hazardous wastes companies that are licensed to handle
and cannot be disposed of in sanitary landfills hazardous waste can be obtained from Alberta
or by burning. Offer unused pesticide supplies Environment’s Recycle Information Line at
with proper use directions to neighbours. 1-800-463-6326. Unused products can also be
Pesticides that have no further use must be returned to the dealer.
10.3.2 Pesticide container disposal
Empty pesticide containers must be disposed of should be obvious – signs of exposure to liquid,
carefully. Unrinsed empty pesticide containers powder or granules, or a strong chemical
have the potential to contaminate ground and odour. Dispose of these materials at a sanitary
surface water, and can be toxic to fish and landfill. Do not burn paper bags or cardboard
wildlife. Under the Alberta Environmental containers. Some pesticide container sites have
Protection and Enhancement Act, non-refillable bins or separate areas for collecting these outer
plastic or metal pesticide containers (restricted, packaging materials.
agricultural and industrial products) must be
disposed of at a pesticide container collection Containers from topical parasiticides (e.g.
site. A list of pesticide container disposal sites pour-on compounds or powders for lice and
in Alberta and their hours is available from mange) should be disposed of in a safe manner.
each municipality, in the Crop Protection These compounds can be toxic to fish, wildlife,
Manual and from Alberta Environment. other livestock and humans. These products
should be kept out of waterways and streams
Containers must be triple rinsed or pressure and not be allowed to contaminate foods or
rinsed and dry before disposal. In most cases, feeds. Some products are controlled under the
triple rinsing leaves plastic, metal or glass Pest Control Products Act and it is an offence to
pesticide containers more than 99 percent free use them other than as directed on the label.
(less than 1 ppm) of residues. For details on
rinsing, consult the Crop Protection Manual. Containers should not be reused and empty
containers should be made unsuitable for
Recycle paper and cardboard outer wrappings re-use. For specific information on the disposal
at a recycling centre. Any cardboard that has of unused and unwanted product and the
been contaminated by a container rupture, cleanup of spills, contact the regional office of
accidental spill or improper handling Conservation and Protection, Environment
procedure should be disposed of as a hazardous Canada.
waste. Evidence of cardboard contamination
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10.4 For More Information
Contact the following offices for the
publications listed or for more information.
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural
Development (AAFRD)
Agriculture Information Centre 1-866-882-7677
Publications 1-800-292-5697
www.agric.gov.ab.ca
• Livestock Mortality Management (Disposal)
Agdex 400/29-1.
• Livestock Mortality Burial Techniques
Agdex 400/29-2.
• Crop Protection Manual Agdex 606-1.
Alberta Environment
Action-on-Waste Recycle Information
1-800-463-6326
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78 Beneficial Management Practices: Environmental Manual for Alberta Cow/Calf Producers
