SEAFORD, Del. – Perdue Farms is developing a new way to compost chicken waste, according to the Associated Press.

The company is seeking permission to add wood, water and hatchery waste to poultry litter, which would later be recycled by heating the litter, forming it into pellets and then selling it as fertilizer. Perdue plans to use the composting system in Delaware and on Maryland's Eastern Shore as a way of controlling pollution, according to AP.

Perdue is also working on a composting method that involves putting the chicken litter under a breathable fabric, allowing air in while letting water vapor escape. The heat of decomposition would kill the bacteria. Composting fabric would help control odors, while a building that receives litter would have an air filter, AP reported.