Nichols Poultry

Aerial view of Nichols Poultry

Zero plastic waste to landfill

Nichols Poultry has a strong culture of resource efficiency. Approximately 80% of waste generated on-site is already recycled, ie protein wastes are recovered as by-product and other organic wastes are composted on-site for use in crop farming.

Single-use plastic film products help the company maintain food safety standards. The main barrier to recycling this waste is high contamination rates from liquid proteins.

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The Project

Analyse cost benefits and test feasibility of various scenarios with a view to implementing best case for diversion of wastes from landfill.

Objectives

  • Find alternative, cost-neutral waste disposal methods for mixed plastic film/purge material.

Targets

  • Zero plastic waste to landfill from production waste​.
  • Maintain or reduce waste disposal costs.
Image of plastic film used in poultry production

Single use plastics are commonly used as in-process packaging for transporting and storing work-in-process.

Outcomes

What was implemented?

  • Numerous alternatives for single use plastics were trialed and costed​.
  • Alternative plant-based plastics are compostable and did work​.
  • Some single-use PPE products were replaced with re-usable, eg aprons.

Key issues

  • The cost of alternatives (300% increase) for plant-based plastics.​
  • Short shelf-life and high minimum orders of plant-based plastics.
  • Lack of recyclers in Tasmania that can take purge contaminated soft plastic​ and there are no soft plastic washing facilities.

Performance against targets

  • We didn’t achieve our target of zero plastic waste to landfill and we are continuing to work on it. However, we did divert another 200 tonnes per year of organic waste from landfill to industrial composting and we found some cost savings in the way we transport our waste.

Lessons Learnt

  • Industry in Tasmania needs greater support and consultation to develop waste reduction initiatives.​
  • There are plenty of opportunities for industry in Tasmania to divert waste from landfill​.
  • Industry plays a significantly larger part in waste reduction for the State compared to residential waste.
Image of group visit to Dulverton Waste Management Centre

A site visit to Dulverton Waste Management Centre led to 200 tonnes of organic waste per year being diverted from landfill.

Image of Phil Stephenson

Phil Stephenson
Chief Production Officer

“A key learning for me was the important part industry plays in reducing waste in Tasmania.”

Business Resource Efficiency Program

The Business Resource Efficiency Program (BREP) was delivered by Business Action Learning Tasmania in partnership with the Tasmanian government.

It is a key action from Climate Action 21, the Tasmanian Government’s climate change action plan.

11 Tasmanian businesses participated in BREP, which included waste audits, tailored resource efficiency improvement strategies, an action learning program, and one-on-one mentoring.

  • Red Brick Road Ciderworks
  • Bridestowe Lavender Estate
  • Botanical Resources Australia
  • Penguin Composites
  • Direct Edge Manufacturing
  • Nichols Poultry
  • Jinglers Creek Vineyard
  • Drysdale North
  • pitt&sherry
  • CPT Engineering
  • ThinkBig Printing
Increasing resource efficiency provides business benefits and sustainability outcomes.

Get in on the action

Are you interested in learning more about action learning for resource efficiency?

Contact us

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“We are very efficient at many things already because stinginess is a waste-fighting superpower!”
Karina DambergsCidermaker, Red Brick Road Ciderworks
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“I had really good engagement from staff. Everyone wants to be a part of the solution.”
Anna RobertsonGeneral Manager, Bridestowe Lavender Estate
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“I learned a lot from other set members, who had more experience with this type of project.”
Greg HillierCookery Teacher, Drysdale Training Restaurant
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“I appreciated having people outside my business to help me reflect on my achievements and celebrate successes along the way.”
Fiona TurnerVigneron, Jinglers Creek Vineyard
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“I discovered that we’re not isolated, there are common themes around resource efficiency across businesses and industries​."
Brett WheldonSystems Coordinator, CPT Engineering
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“Changing our mindset from ‘reducing waste’ to ‘improving quality’ made a big difference.”
Scott LovellOwner/Manager, Think Big Visual Solutions
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“A key learning for me was the important part industry plays in reducing waste in Tasmania.”
Phil StephensonChief Production Officer, Nichols Poultry
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“Finding a solution for fibre composite waste would be ground-breaking and quite significant. I feel we have come very close.”
Darren EmmertonProduction Manager, Penguin Composites
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“Check your waste contracts, don’t just renew them. You may find there is a strong business case for diverting waste from landfill.”
Adam SuttonProject Manager, Pitt & Sherry
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“It was great to get ideas from other businesses and see some of our ideas adopted by others in the group.”
Bronte RichardsonProgrammer, Direct Edge Engineering
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“Your company must be fully on board, right to the top, before you look at funding options.”
Ray HoweProduction Manager & Chief Engineer, Botanical Resources Australia
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“We’ve been really inspired by some of the solutions being developed in the different sectors that we were exposed to during the program.”
Kim RobinsonManaging Director, The Cove Tasmania
Kim Robinson, The Cove Tasmania
“There is no time to waste. George Town and the surrounding areas are ideal for developing a model for regenerative systems in regional areas.”
Frank StrieManaging Director, Terra Preta Developments
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“We’re driven by the tangible impact of sequestering tonnes of carbon, the co-benefits for the environment, and the potential to catalyse a cascade of carbon capture.”
Christina GiudiciCo-founder, The New Black Biochar
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“Working intensively with the group, we clearly defined niche customer groups for the Reuse Shed.”
Mica PerezProject manager, The Reuse Shed
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“Having to clearly define the problem to a group is helpful. The active listening and open questions are really valuable.”
John MeehanOperations Manager, Mitchell Plastic Welding
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The Business Resource Efficiency Program is delivered by BALT in partnership with the Tasmanian government.