Chinese recycling expert breeds thousands of flies to turn kitchen waste into cash
- Black soldier fly maggots used to turn thousands of tonnes of kitchen waste into fertiliser and animal feed
A professor in eastern China has set up has set up a fly farm to recycle kitchen waste, and now says he is processing 3,000 tonnes of it a year, according to media reports.
Zhang Zhijian, an associate professor with Zhejiang University’s school of environment and resources, opened the farm three years ago to put his knowledge of recycling into practice.
He told Beijing News that black soldier flies like to feed on rubbish, faeces and rotten fruit as maggots, and their metabolisms help decompose the waste, producing by-products which are then sold as fertiliser and animal feed.
He said when the farm was first established in 2016, no locals were willing to dump their kitchen waste with him.
But thanks to efforts by the local authorities to promote recycling, it is now dealing with up to 12 tonnes a day, according to the Qianjiang Evening Post.
