Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: designer’s fly larvae system recycles food waste

Hong Kong designer-turned-entrepreneur Rosie Chan Man-wai has developed a recycling system that uses black soldier fly larvae and smart automation to turn food waste into fertiliser and protein for schools, farms, residential estates and businesses.

The innovation lies not only in the biology, but more importantly in the system’s design philosophy.

The machines are stackable, modular and customisable, built originally from upcycled transport pallets and are ideally suited to Hong Kong’s space-constrained urban environment.

“I wanted the system to be flexible and adaptable,” she explained. “A school can use a hand-operated version, so students learn the process, while a hotel needs a fully automated system to save costs and labour. That is our strength.”

But when Chan first unveiled her prototype for a food waste recycling system, sceptics asked why a designer was building machines.