As anyone knows who works for an agricultural or commercial organisation, getting rid of their organic waste (liquid or solid) is costly and contributes to our already overloaded landfill.

Simply disposing of the waste also means missing out on the potential that can come from recycling beneficial by-products, such as nutrients for fertilisers and even collagen from eggshells.

This is where Active Research Pty Ltd is proving to be an innovative success – a small company thinking differently about waste recycling. Active Research views organic waste as a by-product of another process and therefore the waste has a value and this value should be realised. It's just a question of employing the correct technology. 

"Operating a small business can be lonely and having an organisation like KPMG beside you to bounce an idea off can be very insightful throwing a different light on a problem." 

– David Halliday, Director, Active Research

One significant project is at Federation Square in Melbourne, which is enabling cafes and restaurants in the precinct to manage their waste in a sustainable way. They can even produce valuable methane gas, which is then used as fuel for their heating systems.

By rethinking how to deal with waste they're helping make a big difference.

With the aid of KPMG, Active Research has been able to receive significant financial assistance through Research and Development Tax Credits.

This is helping to support their ongoing developments in designing anaerobic digestion equipment and perfecting their microbial solutions.

That's good for their business and, ultimately, good for the environment.