News

Image of fibre composite offcuts
Penguin Composites

A large proportion of waste generated in-process at Penguin Composites is offcut fibre composite material, which has very limited options for recycling or re-use. Management wanted to explore opportunities to reduce waste at the source at investigate alternative uses for offcuts.

Aerial view of Nichols Poultry
Nichols Poultry

Approximately 80% of waste generated on-site at Nichols Poultry is already recycled. 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.

Image of nets being applied to grape vines
Jinglers Creek Vineyard

At Jinglers Creek Vineyard, nylon nets are used to protect ripening fruit from losses to birds. Applying nets requires a team of people, a tractor and approximately two square kilometres of polyester netting, which is replaced every seven years. The owner applied their technology skills to develop an innovative alternative.

Image of Bronte Richardson at Direct Edge
Direct Edge Manufacturing

The materials used in production at Direct Edge Manufacturing (mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium) are highly recyclable and there are established systems in place for collection and recycling.
The business maintains a large inventory of offcuts to optimise value inherent in the material and reduce embedded energy in each product lifecycle.

Pelletiser at BRA
Botanical Resources Australia

Botanical Resources Australia is looking outside their own system to see how they can add value to other material streams. Existing pelletising equipment, used in the production of pyrethrum oil, is under-utilised and could be repurposed to convert timber wastes from external sources into bio-fuel.

Image of Bridestowe Lavender Shop
Bridestowe Lavender Estate

Bridestowe Lavender Estate composts large quantities of organic waste from lavender oil production. The business wanted to focus on food and other waste generated through their cafe, to reduce waste to landfill.

A new page in the history of BALT

On June 8, BALT turned a page in its seven year history with the registration of Business Action Learning Tasmania Ltd, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. The incorporation of BALT has been a longstanding aspiration of the BALT Coordinating Team and industry members of the interest group, established after the first Lean Action Learning […]

Image of forum attendees
Businesses share the learning at BALT forum in Launceston

On the first day of September this year, BALT hosted a public forum at the Tramsheds in Launceston to share the achievements and future aspirations of the group, including a reunion of past and present BALT project team members, their project champions and senior management. Since 2010, twenty BALT projects have been completed, or are […]