Health officials document recalled beef disposal at King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill

More than 72,000 pounds of potentially tainted beef today were safely disposed of at King County's Cedar Hills Regional Landfill as part of the largest beef recall in U.S. history.

The beef is part of a recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef recalled by the United States Department of Agriculture from a California slaughterhouse that is the subject of an animal-abuse investigation, and that provides meat to school lunch programs.

Semi-trucks loaded with tons of frozen beef that was originally destined for school cafeterias throughout King County instead delivered their loads to the landfill. Eight school districts, including the Seattle School District, have sent their beef to Cedar Hills for disposal.

Under the supervision of officials from Public Health – Seattle & King County, the trucks' cargo was dumped alongside the rest of the day's solid waste load, then compacted and buried at the 920-acre sanitary landfill, which annually receives about one million tons of solid waste.

"While it's unfortunate that this much food must be destroyed, it will be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way," said King County Solid Waste Director Kevin Kiernan. The landfill, which is encircled by fencing and lined with a thick plastic membrane liner, is under 24-hour monitoring.

Public Health officials documented the proper disposal of the beef to assist school districts in applying for compensation.