It took several hours to clean up a massive waste spill in South St Joe Tuesday morning. The spill forced officials to shut down portions of 759-highway and Alabama Street. That left a lot of trucks with very few detours available.

The incident started shortly after 6am when a truck from National Beef spill about six tons of sludge onto the roadway.

St Joseph Emergency Management Director George Albert says there was a lot of material involved.

“It’s a byproduct of procedures they use in cleaning the hides,” Albert said, “there’s no toxicity to the material itself.”

“There was about six tons of material, starting on Bluff View Road on the spur of 759 all the way around on Alabama to 59.”

Mr. Albert says the cold weather actually aided in the cleanup. The temperatures caused the sludge to congeal and solidify, making it a lot easier to scoop up and haul away.

They also used the absorbent material “Floor Dry” so sop up what was left. All of the material will be hauled to a landfill in Kansas.