Letting Flies Fight Food Waste: A Sustainable Solution Gaining Ground
At first glance, the idea of inviting flies into the food waste conversation might sound unsanitary or even absurd. But as global food waste continues to rise, a number of cities are turning to an unlikely hero in the push for sustainability: fly larvae.
In Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, city officials have partnered with waste management company Energesman to deploy fly larvae—maggots—to tackle the 2,700 tonnes of food waste generated annually by its 607,000 residents. This initiative, also serving six neighbouring municipalities, not only addresses mounting organic waste, but does so at zero cost to the city—saving an estimated €2 million per year by 2026.
The key players? Six million industrious flies housed in a dedicated facility. Each female can lay up to 500 eggs in her short lifespan, producing over three million larvae every month. In their first days of life, these larvae consume more than 11 tonnes of organic waste, demonstrating unparalleled efficiency as bio-processors.
Energesman takes the paradigm shift from discarding waste to thinking in a circular economy manner. They harvest the larvae before they mature into flies, enabling their protein-laden bodies to be transformed into products ranging from animal feed, bio-based industrial materials (including glue, paint additives, lamp shades, and furniture finishes), and even fishing bait. Their frass—the nutrient-rich manure left behind—can also be used as organic fertiliser.
While some industrial applications are still being refined (early paint samples haven’t quite nailed the colour), the potential is clear. Energesman is already collaborating with universities and industry partners to expand the use of insect-derived materials.
This model isn’t unique to Lithuania. In Kenya, social enterprise Project Mila uses fly larvae to manage Mombasa’s food waste while supplying fertiliser to local farmers. Australia’s Goterra is piloting similar initiatives in Sydney and Queanbeyan-Palerang, recycling around 10 tonnes of food waste across three communities.
But globally, citywide adoption remains limited.
In the UK, Flybox—a leading insect waste management company—is advocating for change. With mandatory weekly food waste collections coming to England in 2026, the potential for insect-based recycling is enormous. Yet, current regulations under DEFRA’s Animal By-Product Rules prevent councils from using larvae to process household food waste.
“Everyone we speak to at UK councils is enthusiastic about insect protein,” says Flybox CEO Larry Kotch. “They’d rather work with insect farms than rely solely on traditional technologies like anaerobic digestion.”
Kotch believes that if policy keeps pace with science, the UK could see its first publicly contracted insect waste facility within two years. This would be a welcome development, given that AD plants may struggle to handle the expected volume of food waste from households.
Globally, over 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year. Insect-based bioconversion could sustainably upcycle up to 40% of that, transforming waste into valuable protein and fertiliser while avoiding methane emissions and landfill overflows.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9y1l397vno
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