Black Soldier Fly Larvae- Composter Extraordinaire: Part 3- First, A Primer on Food Waste

The time has arrived for us to depart the topic of manure recycling with the BSF…. Oh how sweet the sorrow- or maybe not so much. In fact, I suspect in terms of a topic, manure digestion is not as appealing as recycling food waste. So I move onward… and upward!
 
Before I dive into the topic of BSF recycling of food waste- let me as you a question. What is food waste?  I suspect the answers will vary depending on the individual. But, I feel confident in saying, I bet you all are correct, which illustrates a point I want to make. Food waste is a very qualified term that applies to many different forms of food. Clearly there are the traditional types of food waste:
 
-Restaurants
-Homes
 
And there are other forms….. such as:
 
-Grocery stores
-Field residue
 
Regardless of the form, a lot of it is produced. Numbers vary, but the estimate is around 30-40% of the food produced is wasted.  Numbers in 2010 indicate around 133 billion pounds of food is wasted (see this website) which has a value of $390 per person.
 
Here is an interesting study (survey) on food waste produced last year (fall 2016); a similar study was produced in 2014 as well- definitely something worth reading:
 
http://www.foodwastealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/FWRA-Food-Waste-Survey-2016-Report_Final.pdf
 
Here are some highlights:
 
-BIGGEST BARRIER FOR FOOD WASTE RECYCLING- Insufficient recycling options
- 94% of diverted food waste was used as animal feed or land applications.
-60% of food waste applied to land
-35%+ of food waste used as animal feed
-6-12% of large and medium-sized manufacturers divert food waste to composting (low amounts)
 
So why not divert food waste recycling food- what are the barriers?
 
-Regulatory constraints
-Liability concerns
 
Areas of Investment for Recycling Food Waste:
 
-Food waste generation (reducing)
-Disposal methods
-Donations
-Recycling (i.e., composting)
-Used as animal feed
 
Summary: These are some general tidbits of information for you to think about when having dinner at home or in a restaurant. Why produce so much waste? What do we do with it?  Can we use the BSF to recycle it?  The next post will contain a review of food waste and how the BSF functions as a recycler of such materials, associated benefits, as well as challenges.

Author

Jeff Tomberlin, PhD, BSF & Food Waste Friend
Twitter: @FliesFacility
Director, EVO Conversion Systems
​evoconsys..com