Currently, ther are five common ways to dispose of animal mortalities: rendering, burial, landfill, incineration and composting. Government regulation in some states makes burial, landfill and incineration an expensive alternative, not all states have rendering plants. As a result, composting is a economically and more environmentaly sound alternative. The composting process involves five stage: location, ingredients, requirements, design and operation. The compost bin should be loacted in a well drained area providing easy acces to the production units, however need to be out of site of the public view. The compost material of choice has been sawdust. Ease of handling, moisture absoptionability and a small particle size are some of the reasons why it has been choosen over alternatives such as: cornstalks, fescue hay and straw. The current suggested requirements for composting swine mortalities are 0.4 cubic metres / sow or 2.8 cubic metres for every 1000 lbs of carcass mortalities, a 500 sow farrow-to-finish operation will produce approximately 100,000 lbs of mortalities per year. Most composter are constructed wioth roofs concrete walls and floors. However early composting bins incorporated the use of fescue hay for walls. The operation and management of the composter include: placing one foot of sawdust in the bin prior to placing the firrst carcass, place carcasses in the bins as necessary covering them wiuth 1 ft of sawdust each time, carcasses should be allowed to compost for three months after the first carcass is placed in the bin, after three month move the carcasses to another bin for three months, after the carcasses have composted for six months spread compost on land at agronomic rates.