Advancing circular economy principles through wild black soldier flies

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Abstract

Biowaste management poses a significant and widespread challenge. However, its consideration as a resource has led to the emergence of innovative and sustainable biowaste management techniques. One such promising solution is the use of black soldier flies (BSF) in biowaste treatment. This technique offers various advantages, such as the transformation of biowaste into versatile products that can be used in agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals and energy production. Despite significant research on different aspects of the BSF biowaste treatment system, none have explored the application of circular economy principles in low-income settings using naturally occurring BSF, i.e., free-range BSF. This article addresses the gap utilizing a mixed-method approach through a case study to achieve two objectives: the localization of the circular economy through co-production with a community group and the viable production of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and compost to meet the community’s needs. Through collaboration, a successful circular economy was established as biowaste was transformed into products and safely reintroduced into the local biosphere. Performance indices used included BSFL nutritional composition, harvest rates and heavy metal absence. Through community involvement, circular economy principles were effectively implemented to redirect a retail market’s fruit and vegetable waste from the landfill. The free-range open system produced 19.15 kg of BSFL, with 44.34% protein content, 20.6% crude fat and zero heavy metals. These outcomes align with existing research, indicating that a community-led open BSFL system can generate valuable products while fostering circular economy principles with minimal financial, technological, energy and water resources.

Keywords

black soldier fly / free-range BSF / circular economy / biotechnology / bioeconomy / biowaste / co-production / community-based / Tanzania

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