Territoire de la Côte Ouest, La Réunion, France

What was done

The Territoire de la Côte Ouest (TCO), an intercommunal authority on the west coast of La Réunion (France), ran a monitored "test-household" pilot of hen distribution for waste reduction. Following a call for applications launched in late November 2017, 123 households applied and about 20 were selected (17 reported full data). Each received hens and a coop, and committed to weighing the food scraps they fed the hens over the pilot period (average 104 days of weighing per household).

This was deliberately designed as a measurement pilot — to produce real diversion data and demonstrate replicability to the wider population — rather than a mass distribution.

Results

• 562 kg of waste diverted in total across the monitored households during the weighing period; average 33 kg per household, or ~317 g/day/household (~112 g/day/person).
• Extrapolated potential: ~115 kg/year per household (~41 kg/year/person).
• About 4% of the scraps given to the hens came back out of the coop and returned to collection (uneaten); this fell toward zero by the end as households learned to feed appropriately or added composters.
• 17 hen losses recorded — sudden deaths, dog attacks, and cyclone weather.
• Participant satisfaction was high (communication and guidance scored ~9/10); two households dropped out by ceasing contact.

What a replicating commune should know

• Diversion depends on the household, not the hens. The pilot found the amount of waste diverted is driven by a household's consumption and food-waste habits — the number, breed, age and size of hens had little effect. Selecting engaged households matters more than the livestock.
• Expect a "return rate." Some scraps given to hens are not eaten and end up back in the bin. Pairing hens with a composter closes that gap — 6 of 17 households added one during the pilot.
• A monitored pilot is cheap insurance. Weighing by ~20 households produced credible per-household figures (33 kg measured, ~115 kg/year potential) before any large rollout — a model worth copying.
• Climate and predators drive losses. On La Réunion, cyclones and watertight-coop problems were significant; the lesson generalises: launch outside the worst weather season and stress predator/weather protection up front.
• Provide a husbandry guide. Participants singled out the starter guide as the single most useful tool.