SMITOM du Santerre, Somme, France

What was done

The SMITOM du Santerre (an inter-municipal waste authority covering ~115,000 inhabitants in the eastern Somme, France) launched a hen-distribution programme in 2014 — branded "Pouleetic," with an online "adopt-a-hen" sign-up site styled as a parody of a dating website. It was set up under an ADEME-backed waste-prevention programme (2011–2016) and, after the prevention plan ended, continued on the authority's own funds.

The operation was scaled up rapidly year by year:

• 2014: ~300 hens across 8 pilot communes
• 2015: ~1,900 hens across 65 communes
• 2016: ~3,500 hens across 119 communes (a record)
• 2017: ~2,100 hens across 47 communes

Hens were given out free, in pairs; no cockerels (to avoid noise nuisance for neighbours); recipients signed an adoption contract, received a guide, and were subject to courtesy visits and follow-up. Coops and operation were co-funded by the SMITOM and member communautés de communes.

Results

• ~8,000 hens distributed in total since 2014.
• The operator estimated a diversion potential of ~1,200 tonnes per year from the full installed base.
• Over its 2011–2016 ADEME prevention programme, the SMITOM cut its residual household waste by 15% — against a 7% target — with the hen scheme among its flagship actions (alongside school composting and home-composting distribution). The authority then set a new target of −20%.

What a replicating authority should know

• Rapid year-on-year scale-up is feasible. The SMITOM went from 8 communes to over 100 in three years — useful as a template for an authority that wants to move fast after a successful pilot.
• A memorable brand helps. The "Pouleetic" dating-site parody gave the programme strong media pick-up and an easy online sign-up funnel.
• The 15% headline reduction is a programme-wide figure, not the hens alone. Hens were one of several flagship actions; the honest read is that hen distribution contributed to, but did not solely cause, the 15%.
• No cockerels. Restricting to hens is a simple, standard rule that pre-empts neighbour noise complaints.
• The ~1,200 t/year is an operator capacity estimate (8,000 hens × ~150 kg), not an audited diverted tonnage — plan with measured figures where possible.