Lingnan co-launches Bi-Loop food waste processing pilot programme to convert pre-meal food waste into organic feed
From left: Ms Irene So, Executive Director of the Zeshan Foundation; Mr Willy Kwong, Executive Director of the A Plastic Ocean Foundation; Ms Carmen Ho, ESG Director at GAW Capital, representing People’s Place; and Prof Paulina Wong Pui-yun, Head and Associate Professor (Presidential Early Career Scholar) of the Science Unit at Lingnan University.
Food waste accounts for about 30 per cent of Hong Kong's municipal solid waste in landfills, negatively impacting environmental ecology and wasting recyclable organic materials. To address this issue, the Zeshan Foundation has funded A Plastic Ocean Foundation in collaboration with academic partner Lingnan University’s Science Unit, and strategic partner Gaw Capital People’s Place, to launch an innovative food waste processing programme in April - the Bi-Loop Nature-Based Food Waste Regeneration Pilot Programme.
This initiative will collect pre-meal food waste from four shopping malls in the North and Tuen Mun Districts and process it at a dedicated facility. The food waste will be fed to the larvae of black soldier flies, known as food waste scavengers, which will then be processed into fish feed, to nourish fish and plants. The edible fish and vegetables will be donated to charitable organisations for distribution to needy families. Additionally, the food waste processing facility and Aquaponics System will be open to schools and the catering industry at no cost to promote awareness and education.
Aquaponics System.
Lingnan University will be responsible for operating the black soldier fly food waste processing facility in Tuen Mun. The facility utilises Internet of Things (IoT) technology to enhance operational efficiency. For example, when the black soldier flies’ feeding rate slows down in cold environments, the system monitors and analyses data to adjust the facility’s temperature, improving the feeding rate.
Lingnan University will utilise the food waste processing facility as an educational platform, hosting promotional activities at the H.A.N.D.S. during the summer holidays. The goals are to raise public awareness of the circular economy and encourage students to participate in demonstrations of food waste processing and the black soldier fly ecosystem.
In terms of research, Lingnan will evaluate community participation strategies in the circular economy, including analysing socio-cultural and behavioural factors that influence public involvement, conducting case studies, providing data-driven policy recommendations, and researching the application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in urban circular economies, monitoring effectiveness, and devising similar schemes to tackle other social issues, thus promoting sustainable development within industries and communities.
The black soldier fly food waste processing facility utilises Internet of Things (IoT) technology to enhance operational efficiency.