A viewer-shot video that surfaced this week is turning stomachs in Logan County, showing what appears to be hundreds of chickens, some dead and some still moving, dumped out of a truck at a Republic Services landfill near Bellefontaine. The footage has triggered a state investigation and stirred up anger among nearby residents who say the images are hard to forget.
What the video shows
The clip, shared with a local tipline, captures a truck lifting its bed and spilling a large load of poultry onto the active face of the landfill. Amid the mass of carcasses, a handful of birds can be seen still moving and walking away after hitting the ground. The video and other viewer-submitted footage were first reported by MyFox28 Columbus.
Officials respond
The Ohio Department of Agriculture says it has opened a review to determine whether euthanasia and transport protocols were followed in this case. "ODA staff have been in communication with the industry representatives regarding this incident," an agency spokesperson told ABC 6.
Republic Services, which owns and operates the site, told reporters the load had been "profiled as euthanized animal waste" before it arrived at the landfill. The company added that it has "halted all shipments from this customer" while it works to confirm that required procedures were followed, according to a statement provided to ABC 6.
Landfill rules and context
State records identify the facility in the video as the Cherokee Run Landfill near Bellefontaine, operated by Republic Services. Ohio EPA filings list the site at 2946 U.S. Route 68 North, and recent permit authorizations for the landfill are detailed in Ohio EPA documents.
Officials told reporters the birds were not affected by disease and were instead "at the end of their lay cycle." They also noted that "it is legal under Ohio law to dump properly euthanized chickens that are disease free in an approved landfill," as reported by MyFox28 Columbus.
What happens next
The Ohio Department of Agriculture says its investigation is active and ongoing, and that records identifying the customer involved are not yet available while regulators review the case. Neighbors say they are grateful to the person who recorded the footage and hope the inquiry pushes farms and haulers toward retraining and clearer procedures so scenes like this do not play out again at their local landfill.
