This insect could eliminate food waste in cities. Here’s how

Green advancements in food waste processing are opening new opportunities for cities to not only become more sustainable, but to play an important role in the creation of a local circular economy. The pandemic is adding to this momentum, as the emergence of Covid-19 has increased the volume of solid and household waste produced, which is leading cities to rethink how they approach waste disposal.

Circular solutions, such as the black soldier fly (BSF), are promising. This incredible insect converts food waste into useful proteins and other high demand products, such as organic fertilizer that can be used in cities, parks and green spaces.

Cities produce half of all global waste and are responsible for 60-80% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and so companies are harnessing the power of BSF to divert organic waste that would otherwise be dumped in a landfill or processed through less economically viable methods such as anaerobic digestion or incineration.

Using insects to process and recycle organic waste is a clean and circular solution, but progressing this option is challenging due to a lack of knowledge about circular economies coupled with regulations that encumber the implementation of sustainable waste processing.

Cities have the opportunity to play a key role in advancing local, circular waste processes that go beyond strategy and programmes. Seoul is rich with inspiration – the city implemented a comprehensive initiative that has resulted in the city recycling 95% of its food waste, a massive leap forward when it used to only recycle 2%.

Truly sustainable cities can channel their influence into three key actions to create an environment where circular solutions thrive.

Cities can also lead regional solutions by uniting several food waste producers from different sectors like industry, retail, and catering into clusters, served by large and efficient BSF waste-to-protein facilities.

By positioning themselves as an involved stakeholder, cities streamline the process for both waste generators and processors, while simultaneously resolving an environmental problem and generating tangible benefits for the city economy. Those benefits include mitigating landfill use by hundreds of tons per day, reducing the production of greenhouse gases and of course, supporting the local economy by creating jobs and connecting local businesses with green, cost-effective food waste processing.

There are also material benefits to circularity. For instance, sustainable cities that collaborate with BSF producers receive products, such as fertilizer provided to the city authority. Already, we have the potential to make a huge dent in the organic waste problem, and the solution is infinitely scalable.

City sustainability initiatives frequently focus on initiatives such as robust recycling programmes, carving out green space, and investing in public transportation. These are important and worthy endeavors, but as progress in the realm of food waste processing expands the discussion around circularity, cities have more opportunities to foster the development of a circular food economy – in other words, cities themselves can become an economic system that both eliminates food waste and continually re-uses resources.