Ep 3. Roadkill Cleaner

Dirty Jobs is a TV series that explores the most peculiar occupations across the United States. In the third episode of season 1, Mike Rowe, the host, visits a small farm in Ohio to meet with a roadkill cleaner. This job, according to Rowe, is one of the dirtiest and most dangerous ones he's ever encountered.

As the episode begins, Rowe explains that he had to drive for two hours to reach the farm. During his journey, he saw countless dead animals on the road, from raccoons to deer. He wonders who is responsible for removing the roadkill and how they do it. The answer lies with a man named Bill Allen.

Allen is a gruff and quirky middle-aged man who has been a roadkill cleaner for over ten years. Rowe meets him at his farm, which is also his workplace. Allen tells Rowe that his job is to pick up, transport, and dispose of the dead animals on the road. He says that he does this service for the city and county authorities, and he charges them a hefty fee per animal.

The first task for Rowe is to accompany Allen to the road. Allen has already received a call that there is a dead deer on the side of the highway. Rowe notes that Allen's vehicle is a dark green pick-up truck with a large metal box in the bed. Allen has rigged the box to lift the dead animals into it using a winch system.

Once they reach the dead deer, Allen instructs Rowe to put on a pair of protective gloves and clean his hands with antiseptic. He then shows Rowe how to lay out a long orange cone, so passing motorists can see them. They then proceed to lift the deer using the winch system and place it in the metal box. The deer is large and heavy, and Rowe struggles to hold it steady. However, with Allen's instruction, the job is complete.

The next stop for Rowe is the "field of stink." This is Allen's name for his storage area where he keeps the dead animals. It's a huge open field filled with rows of metal boxes. Each box is marked with a date, a type of animal, and a rank of the animal's freshness. Allen and Rowe deposit the dead deer in one of the boxes and label it.

Rowe is shocked at how many boxes there are in the field. Allen explains that he has to keep the animals separate to avoid disease and smell. He also tells Rowe that he will dispose of each box in different ways. Some of the animals, like the deer, will be used for research purposes. Others, like raccoons, will be incinerated.

The next day, Rowe accompanies Allen to a nearby facility that processes the dead animals. The facility is a large building with a massive furnace at its core. The smell of dead animals is overwhelming. Rowe covers his nose and mouth with a handkerchief as they enter the facility.

Allen greets the workers and tells them that he's going to drop off five boxes of deceased animals. The workers load the boxes onto a conveyor belt that leads to the furnace. Rowe and Allen watch as the boxes disappear into the furnace, and the flame engulfs them.

After the furnace, Allen takes Rowe to a local college where one of the animal science professors uses the dead animals for research purposes. Allen tells Rowe that he's proud to contribute to this research, and he thinks it's a valuable purpose for the animals who've lost their lives.

In the final scene of the episode, Rowe accompanies Allen on his way home. Rowe asks him if he ever gets tired of cleaning roadkill. Allen laughs and says that he doesn't have time to think about it. He has a job to do, and he takes it very seriously.

Overall, the episode provides an in-depth look into the life of a roadkill cleaner. Rowe doesn't shy away from the dirty and gruesome aspects of the job. He lets Allen explain his methods and the reasons behind them. The episode is an eye-opener for city and urban dwellers who rarely think about the dirty and hazardous jobs that make society function.