HONOLULU — The state Department of Education is getting rid of 266,000 pounds of recalled ground beef produced on the Mainland.

DOE Child Nutrition Director Susan Uyehara says the meat will be buried in landfills throughout the state. She says officials hope to complete the project by the end of next week.

The suspect meat has been kept frozen in cold storage as part of the nation's biggest beef recall in history. The 143 million pounds of meat came from Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. of California.

The meatpacker is accused of sending lame "downer" cows to slaughter. Downer cows are those too sickly to stand. Generally, they are banned from the food supply under federal regulations.