An Australian startup is helping the City of Sydney to divert food waste from landfill by chucking in up to 15million maggots to consume the huge rubbish scraps
A city has hatched a grim scheme as huge piles of rubbish at landfill sites become unmanageable.
A horde of maggots have chomped through close to 90 tonnes of food scraps since January in Sydney, Australia. The plan is an attempt to get rid of 40 per cent of the total residential waste, which consists of food that has been chucked away.
Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore AO explained the novel project, saying: “Sydney’s landfill space is running out fast, making these projects vital. It’s an approach that is net positive, removing more carbon emissions from the environment than it generates.”
She said the scheme has the added boon of generating fertiliser and animal proteins which can be used in a “circular economy solution”, using them to produce more food.
Australia has to manage 7.3million tonnes of food waste each year. Environmental organisation Clean Up Australia says that roughly equates to 300kg of food per person, which is turned into methane gas when it is sent directly to landfill. Methane is 25 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, it said.
In June, officials in Sydney – where most people live in apartment blocks making disposal especially tricky – said they had partnered with Goterra – a startup which uses the larvae to decimate the waste. At their facility, the food scraps are piled into shipping container units where up to 15million maggots are piled in to do their thing. The maggots’ waste becomes fertiliser, and the creatures themselves become a food source for fish, poultry or pet food.
“Waste is processed closer to where it’s collected, which cuts down on fuel costs and emissions. It’s an approach that is net positive, removing more carbon emissions from the environment than it generates,” Ms Moore said.
Goterra founder Olympia Yarger said: “This is a bold step forward in waste-to-value management, transforming everyday food waste from across the city into valuable inputs for agriculture.
“In partnership with the City of Sydney and Bingo, we’re at the forefront of circular innovation and are preparing for the FOGO Recycling Bill, which mandates diversion of residential food waste from landfill from July 2030.
“The future of zero food waste to landfill is coming and we’re proud to be leading the way.”
