Poo Power: from poultry waste to renewable energy

Using curbside, commercial and biowaste from its poultry industry, the City of Greater Bendigo is building a business case that could see the introduction of Australia’s first multiple stream waste to energy facility.

The economic and environmental initiative is being undertaken with the help of Masters students from the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Business & Economics.

The students will conduct a feasibility analysis on the project over the next fortnight.

Brian Gould, Manager of the Economic Development Unit from the City of Greater Bendigo, said in a community where the poultry industry dominated, such a facility could all but abolish the hazards and costs associated with biowaste disposal and ease the burden on the city’s landfill site was nearing capacity.

"This project couldn’t come at a better time for us. As we develop our strategy for waste related activity, the students will be contributing to what could be a first in Australian environmental waste management and we hope it could lead to further collaborations" he said.

The student project is part of the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business & Economics Volunteer Business Practicum, a program that allows students to provide a genuine contribution to a business or community while gaining valuable work experience.

Program manager Sue Elston from the Faculty of Business and Economics Career Centre said it was a fantastic way for students to meet potential employers and gain confidence by being treated as a professional.

"One of the challenges for students we find is in dealing with an imperfect world, away from lectures and text books. By getting an opportunity to get hands on experience they realise that time passes very quickly in the business world, and that it’s not just about how much time they spend on a project, but as consultants, how effectively they work," she said.

Ms Elston said the program was particularly valuable for international students, who make up a large part of the Practicum program.

"Because they are doing a project of real need, we find their confidence lifts so much as they see they can apply the skills they learned in the classroom into the real world," she said.

The students will work with the City of Greater Bendigo Council until mid-February, when they will present their findings to the council and their peers.

See http://www.gsbe.unimelb.edu.au/careers/employers/businesspracticum.html.