Do you put bones & meat into a compost pile ... or not?

The commercial composters put all kinds of dead animals on the bottom of a compost heap and after 6 weeks they are gone. I remember reading most of the larger road kills in and around cities go to composters, if they are available.

Paul

I read that you can. Best if confined to remove odor and keep vermin away.

I would not put meat into the compost due to flies and stink. A vegetative compost heap "cooks" at a pretty high temp if aerated properly, so it would be accessible to vermin and bugs.

I don't. If I didn't throw it in the freezer and later pressure cook it for my dog I'd have a separate burial zone for meat/bones. Also no dog manure allowed.

Not in a small compost heap. The meat has to be layered in and allowed to decompose before turning to keep the odor down and keep scavengers out. Our city compost doesn't allow any animal meat waste. There is a percentage of animal meat waste to normal waste that shouldn't be exceeded.

Usually you see animal carcasses on large farms or county composts that are well controlled.

For home compost it's not recommended. If you're carefully maintaining your compost heap it's possible.

Another consideration is if you are using well water. It has to be a certain distance from any well water. I'm not sure what that distance is.

Personally I don't like compost heaps anywhere near my house. If I did I'd only use a contained or elevated one to keep bugs and other critters out.

Jim

See, you know the answer already. Goes in the trash in this house.

It's not recommended. If the animal had any parasites, the temperatures in the compost heap probably won't get hot enough to full kill them/their eggs. It's the same problem as with animal waste. Wild animals frequently carry a lot of parasites. The roundworm commonly found in raccoons can and has killed people.