Case Studies
Banham Compost,
a subsidiary of Banham Poultry Limited,
Attleborough, Norfolk
Background
Banham Poultry is a privately owned family business dedicated to fresh poultry meat products. Employing some 750 people, the business is multi-functional with hatchery, breeder farms, broiler farms, four industrial production sites (two operational), and separate divisions for live and fresh meat transport. The company is capable of processing 870,000 chickens per week.
Prompted by increasing energy and waste costs, the company carried out an in-depth review of its energy and waste activities and costs. A significant driving force behind this project was the changes to Animal By-Product Regulations, which came into force in 2002. These would greatly affect the disposal of feather and hatchery waste, which were major waste streams produced by Banham Poultry. However, all aspects of waste were examined during the project including paper, plastic, steel, oil and general rubbish.
The result was formation of a wholly owned subsidiary company called Banham Compost whose business strategy was to be accomplished by creating facilities to process animal by-products via composting, rendering and production of renewable electricity.
The company recognised a number of advantages in selecting composting. Although there was high capital expenditure, operating costs were low and the Carleton Rode site selected to house the facility was close to the process plant producing the waste, reducing the waste disposal carbon footprint. Additionally, composting produced organic matter that was beneficial to the land, thus creating an additional revenue stream from the sale of the end product.
Construction of the Composting Plant
Banham chose to work with TEG Environmental, whose unique TEG Silo Cage system was the most cost effective option for the thermophilic composting process as it could be installed at a lower Capex and maintain low operating costs. Crucially, the system had also achieved full EU standard Animal By-Product approval.
In a deal worth £1.7 million, TEG Environmental was signed up to manufacture and install the plant, which comprises two banks of 24 TEG Silo Cages and has a nominal capacity of 28,000 tonnes. Construction commenced in June 2006 and the first line of cages was operational by December, with the second phase on-line in January 2007.
Present Status
Since the plant became fully operational, 100% of Banham's feather and hatchery waste is composted at the Carleton Rodes site. The company is already generating additional revenue by accepting third party raw material including processed meat and co-mingled kitchen and green waste.
The company has also significantly reduced its carbon footprint. Previously the feathers and hatchery waste had to be transported out of the county for disposal. Now they are taken just three miles from the poultry processing plant to the composting facility.
The company is seeking outlets for the compost from the site, which Hutchinsons, crop production specialists, has described as 'high dry matter compost'. It is hoped that, in time, this will generate additional revenue to mitigate investment costs.
