UNYEFGlobal Impact InitiativeLess waste to landfill
Organic waste is treated instead of dumped, cutting methane emissions.
Circular agriculture · UNYEF-supported
Organic waste, put back to work.
A project led by Sanhe Zheng that uses black soldier fly larvae to turn organic waste into feed protein and fertilizer, keeping food waste out of landfill.
- Initiator
- Sanhe Zheng
- Supported by
- UNYEF
- Focus
- Organic waste and circular agriculture
- SDGs
- 12, 13 and 2
The challenge
Black Soldier Fly Project
Food and farm waste is heavy, wet and expensive to move. Sent to landfill it releases methane, while the nutrients it contains are lost. Small communities and farms rarely have a practical way to treat it close to where it is produced.
Our approach
Make it work. Then make it last.
- Larvae as processors. Black soldier fly larvae feed on organic waste and reduce its volume within days.
- Two useful outputs. Grown larvae become protein for animal feed, and their residue (frass) is used as organic fertilizer.
- Close to the source. Treating waste where it is produced cuts transport and keeps nutrients in local farming.
What success means
Outcomes over features.
Local feed protein
Larvae offer an alternative to imported fishmeal and soy for animal feed.
Healthier soil
Frass returns nutrients to farmland as organic fertilizer.
What we measure
Waste processedLarvae yieldFertilizer producedEmissions avoided
