A waste recycling system trialled near Rockingham in the 1980s was being revived four years after a $2.5 million plant using the process collapsed amid financial problems.

The system was developed by former Mauritius sugar farmer Christian Fayd'herbe, who began experimenting with waste disposal and nutrient recovery after moving to WA. While operating a chicken farm in Bickley Valley, he developed a process that converted chicken manure and other rubbish into stockfeed.

By the 1980s, the process had expanded into recycling raw waste into organic fertiliser. In 1986, businessman Simon Quickley became interested and Fayd'herbe was persuaded to join a company that constructed a $2.5 million recycling plant near Rockingham.

The operation subsequently ran into liquidation, but Fayd'herbe maintained the failure resulted from management and stockmarket problems rather than the technology itself. He said the plant had successfully produced about 10,000 tonnes of fertiliser and stockfeed before closing.

Fayd'herbe's process was designed to handle waste without creating pollution while producing stable supplies of fertiliser and stockfeed. Material was placed directly into fermentation cells for up to six weeks, allowing the contents to ferment naturally without shredding.

Organic and inorganic materials were then separated using methods including magnetic separation and air cyclones. Glass and plastic could be recycled, while the processed organic material could be sold as stockfeed or packaged as fertiliser.

Fayd'herbe later joined former Perth merchant banker Peter Eley and consultant Glenn Watkins to form Green Gully Pty Ltd and market the technology interstate. They were approaching authorities including the Wanneroo Council, where waste disposal was becoming an increasing concern.

Fayd'herbe estimated a plant capable of processing 60,000 tonnes of waste a year could solve the council's waste problems while producing fertiliser and stockfeed for sale. Householders would continue paying the council for rubbish collection, with profits from the recycled products intended to offset disposal costs.

The initial capital cost was estimated at $3 million. Green Gully argued the operation could recover its investment within four years and was seeking a council prepared to become involved in the project.