We shouldn't be surprised that the state that we affectionately refer to as "The Cheese State" would use some of that chewy, gooey, dairy goodness to clear their streets.

The city of Milwaukee has began a pilot program to repurpose cheese brine for use in keeping city roads from freezing.

How do they do it? Turns out that it is accomplished by mixing the dairy waste with regular rock salt. Why would they do it? Well, officials claim it's a way to trim costs and cut back on pollution.

According to this article from the New York Times, the best cheese to use is mozzarella or provolone due to their already high salt content.

Of course, there are questions that officials have to ask themselves when taking this route to keep the streets ice free. Will the faint smell of cheese annoy residents? Will it attract rodents and other vermin? Time will tell if this money-saving move will be worth the side effects, but so far officials haven't heard any complaints from residents.

Can you think of any by-products from local West Michigan businesses that would work well in clearing the roads?

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