Sludge from a poultry processing plant is being used as a fertilizer at farms in Guntersville, Alabama.
According to reports from area residents, the sludge has created an overpowering stench and attracted swarms of flies. According to a report from AL.com, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is weighing new regulations over biosolid use as a fertilizer.
Biosolids include the solid material left over from wastewater treatment operations and chicken processing plants. According to one resident, the biosolid material had a crust that had visible chicken feathers.
Alabama processes 21 million chickens per week, second only to Georgia. According to area residents, a Georgia-based company offered farmers "free, food-grade fertilizer." The material was used in late June and has since been a nuisance.
