Organic food waste is a huge challenge facing the Developed World, with around 90 million
tonnes of waste produced across the whole of the EU, including 7 million tonnes from the UK
alone. According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (2013) much of this waste is
avoidable, through a change in industry and consumer processes and practices. The remaining
unavoidable waste is currently disposed of through landfill, incineration or, increasingly, from
recycling and composting. In this proposal, Liquid11 Marine will investigate the market for a
new type of organic food waste processing method, using Black Soldier Fly larvae. Known as
non-selective, voracious feeders of organic waste, these maggots quickly break down plant
and animal material and convert it into animal protein. After feeding, the maggots are nutrientrich
and represent an excellent natural source of protein for poultry, fish and some livestock.
At the end of the larval stage of the life-cycle, the maggots leave the compost area, facilitating
harvesting and processing for the animal feed industries. Liquid11 Marine will work with
livestock producers to assess customer demand for a nutritious larvae-based feed additive.
This product would be an alternative to traditional plant and animal-based feed and fishmeal,
which has seen soaring wholesale prices in recent years. In addition, after feeding by the
larvae, the leftover degraded organic material forms excellent input material for anaerobic
digester units – facilities which convert organic material into renewable energy. The larval pretreatment
breaks the tough cellulose material, releasing a soup of sugars and other nutrients
that accelerate the bacterial composting. The overall result is an all-natural, more efficient
renewable energy generation process. We believe our novel method has the potential to
increase the quality of animal feed and boost the efficiency of existing waste treatment
processes across the UK.