Buzzards might be plotting revenge — if only they had enough in their bellies to sustain such efforts — after VDOT devised a method of making roadkill disappear that would shame the mafia.

VDOT’s Windsor Area Headquarters has just become home to the newest of four micro-aeration dead animal composting units operated by the state’s transportation department.

Inside three concrete bins, carcasses can vanish in 45 days, said Ron Kersey, who oversees the operation.

There’s no magic involved, just a bit of pre-made compost material and sawdust mixed together by pumping air through the mixture and constantly reintroducing the decomposition juices.

“The longer you leave it in, the more larger bones get composted,” Kersey said.

Kersey jokes he works up the “smelly end” of the VDOT yard on Buckhorn Drive. But besides those occasions when he’s standing next to a dearly departed possum, a squashed cat and two mangled deer, one of them found wearing a Volkswagen grille — Friday’s bounty — one wouldn’t know it.

That’s because they pile on the sawdust as odor control.

The process begins with regular missions of VDOT workers like Kersey to collect roadkill. Kersey said they head out early every Friday morning, tracing the primary roads in their coverage area. They also might check secondary roads, “If we get a phone call or stumble across something.”

“If we have enough manpower, we’ll (also) go Mondays,” Kersey added. “It’s good to have two, because these critters can be heavy. We picked up a deer over 200 pounds a couple of weeks ago.”

Kersey said he’s collected as many as seven carcasses on a single morning. VDOT employees from across Hampton Roads will be bringing roadkill to the Windsor facility. Spokeswoman Laurie Simmons said an average of 20 dead animals are collected from the district’s state-maintained highways weekly.

During their runs, workers also inspect the condition of roads, fixing any potholes, plus collect trash and debris.

Back at the Windsor depot, the carcasses are placed atop a 12-inch thick layer of sawdust covering the bottom of a bin. An equal mix of compost material and sawdust goes on top, and more carcasses and material are layered until the bin is full.

As decomposition begins, the liquids, called leachate, drain into an underground tank via slots at the bottom of the bins. The microbe-rich liquid is then sprayed back onto the compost pile, speeding things up a little.

Air is sent up through the mixture from PVC pipes at the bottom of bins, also accelerating the process. As things heat up, temperatures can tip 160 degrees, according to Simmons.

The resulting compost will be used at VDOT facilities and along Virginia roadways, she stated.

“VDOT and its research division, the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, have studied the performance of these types of facilities and other composting methods for several years to provide additional effective carcass-management options that comply with environmental regulations,” Simmons stated.

“Composting also can help reduce some of the costs associated with transporting roadkill to offsite disposal sites.”