ISLE of Anglesey County Council has spent more than £30,000 in the last five years on collecting, storing and disposing of dead animals.
This was revealed following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the Chronicle to the local authority.
By comparison, in response to the same request, Gwynedd Council said it has spent nearly £1,000 in this regard during the same time period.
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The Chronicle asked both county’s councils details of its current procedures for collecting, storing and disposing of dead animals found on its roads or public highways.
Isle of Anglesey County Council said its waste collection contractor, Biffa Municipal, is responsible for this, while Gwynedd Council said dead animals found on its roads and public highways are collected by its street cleaning service.
The carcasses are then collected from the depot by an external contractor, it added.
Animal carcasses on Anglesey are not stored (e.g. refrigerated or frozen) prior to being disposed of.
But in Gwynedd, the council said, collected animal remains are placed within a suitable containment bag and temporarily stored at the council's depot in designated containers prior
to collection by the disposal contractor.
Carcasses found in Gwynedd are then incinerated, but on Anglesey, the council said this “depends (on) what animal and the size/weight of the carcass”.
Isle of Anglesey County Council said it did not keep records on the number of dead animals collected from its roads/highways in the last five years.
Gwynedd Council said it had collected 23, including a cat, swan, pheasant, sheep, duck and fox.
On the total costs associated with collection, storage and disposal of dead animals since 2021-22 ((including contractor costs, equipment and disposal fees), Isle of Anglesey County Council said it had spent £30,351, while Gwynedd Council spent £994.38.
The two counties provided the following data in this regard:
Anglesey
2025-26 - £4,885
2024-25 - £7,531
2023-24 - £7,546
2022-23 - £3,881
2021-22 - £6,508
Total - £30,351
Gwynedd
1. 01/06/2023 No data £59.53
2. 09/06/2023 No data £178.60
3. 05/09/2023 No data £35.42
4. 13/11/2023 No data £83.15
5. 26/01/2024 No data £59.53
6. 02/03/2024 No data £86.59
7. 08/07/2024 No data £30.50
8. 08/10/2024 Cat 6kg £2.23
9. 09/10/2024 No data £51.17
10. 02/12/2024 Swan 6kg £2.23
11. 06/01/2025 Fox 6kg £2.23
12. 10/01/2025 No data £21.60
13. 10/01/2025 No data £18.00
14. 04/02/2025 No data £49.20
15. 24/03/2025 Mixed box 88kg £43.30
16. 10/04/2025 No data £73.80
17. 04/07/2025 Mixed box 100kg £49.20
18. 11/11/2025 Swan 10kg £3.72
19. 12/12/2025 Pheasant 2kg £0.74
20. 20/01/2026 Mixed box 100kg £49.20
21. 24/04/2026 Sheep, duck & roadkill 100kg £52.92
22. 04/08/2026 No data £29.52
23. 12/08/2026 Fox 5kg £12.00
Total - £994.38
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