Chiayi township hails new fly larvae composting system

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) The waste management office in Chiayi's Meishan Township said Sunday that a black soldier fly larvae-based composting system it had adopted earlier this year is now processing around 200 kilograms of food waste per day.

The report on the new system was presented by the office's director Liu Jui-chin (劉瑞欽), during a visit by local government officials on Sunday, after the necessary equipment was purchased with subsidies from the Chiayi County Government.

Previously, the approximately 300 kilograms of food waste produced daily in Meishan Township was naturally composted, a process that took three to six months and generated significant carbon emissions, Liu said.

Under the new system, the black soldier fly larvae consume around 200 kg of food waste per day, while also generating lower emissions and producing frass, or excrement, which can be used as an efficacious natural fertilizer, Liu said.

According to Liu, black soldier flies have a life cycle of 28-35 days. Once they enter the pupa stage, they can be fed directly to poultry or fish, or processed for use as a high-protein feed for the aquaculture industry, he added.

Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁), who toured the facility as part of the presentation Sunday, highly praised the project.

He said that considering the many ways in which black soldier flies can be used, they are probably "the second most beneficial insect species to humanity, after bees."