The flies turning waste into food, fuel and fertiliser

Available for over a year

As populations increase, so does the waste they produce. As they outgrow existing sewage systems, new technologies have arisen to help manage surplus waste in a clean and cost-effective way. Sanergy, a company based in Nairobi, has turned to the black solider fly for a solution. As Sheila Kibuthu explains, they collect waste from agriculture, street markets, food processing businesses as well as human waste from the company’s own waterless toilets. They then transport it to a processing plant where the waste is first eaten by fly larvae. Once fattened up, the larvae are dried to form a protein feed for animals and their waste is further processed into cooking fuel and fertiliser. (Image: Black soldier fly, Credit: Sergio Yoneda / Getty Images.)