BetterCycle

About

BetterCycle converts organic waste into insect protein that is a nutritious and cost-effective alternative to fishmeal, thus reducing waste and preserving wild fish populations in the ocean.  

The partnership helps cities manage their organic waste more efficiently, diverting it from landfill and upcycling it into sustainable protein that can be used as livestock feed or fertilizer. Through a decentralized production model, the partnership established growing facilities at waste sites, reducing transport costs. This leads to better profit margins and improves the financial sustainability and scalability of the project.  

Compared to large-scale windrow composting, which requires significant land and equipment to compost organic waste and releases contaminants during the process, insect fertilizers like BetterCycle’s emit 47 times fewer greenhouse gas emissions. By the end of November 2021, BetterCycle will be diverting 40,000 kg of food waste from landfill daily (1,200,000 kg monthly) and converting it into 80 tonnes of dried insect protein and 240 tonnes of fertilizer.  

In close partnership with Everise Group, Inseco has developed a trout range (Novel Trout) that completely replaces fishmeal and fish oil with Inseco’s insect protein and oil. In so doing, over 400 tonnes of wild-caught fish will remain in the ocean each month. By replacing conventional windrow compost, the 240 tonnes of fertilizer reduce direct CO2eq emissions by 47 times preventing at least 110 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere per month. 

The partnership generates revenue by charging a fee for organic waste disposal. Additionally, the system produces two primary products: dried insect protein and fertilizer. The protein is sold into livestock feed and pet food and the fertilizer is sold into organic crop production. The partnership is currently operational in South Africa and plans to expand into numerous markets in the Middle East and Africa.