The plant, which serves as a demonstration site, converts food waste into usable cricket feed

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has taken a significant step towards addressing the growing problem of food waste in urban areas by establishing a food waste upcycling plant under Bionovedosa Solutions Ltd.

The plant, which serves as a demonstration site, converts food waste into usable cricket feed, offering a sustainable solution to the waste management crisis in Kampala and Wakiso district.

According to Geoffrey Ssepuya, a lecturer at UCU and principal investigator, about 75 per cent of household waste in urban areas is food waste, and most of it ends up rotting in landfills or drainage channels.

"Kampala alone produces around 7,770 metric tons of food waste daily, with households contributing up to 680 tons of that waste," Ssepuya said.

The project aims to transform waste management, promote sanitation, and create employment opportunities in communities.

"The project will create employment, especially decent employment for people who are involved in the waste value chain because it encourages the collection of waste and proper utilization," Ssepuya explained. "It increases the levels of hygiene in the community, and there are so many other fringe benefits."

The plant will consume at least one tonne of food waste per week, producing about 300 kilograms of high-quality cricket feed.

Ssepuya noted that the process begins at the community level, where households are encouraged to sort waste at home using designated bins to separate food waste from plastics and other materials.

The project has already started in areas like Kasangati, Kira, and Gayaza, with plans to expand to other districts across the country.

Josephine Nantumbe, the LC II councilor in Busukuma, Wakiso district, welcomed the initiative, saying it will help reduce the waste burden and create jobs for youth involved in collection and processing.

Robert Kayizi, a cricket farmer from Wakiso district, said the new cricket feed will make cricket farming more affordable and profitable.

"We have not been having specifically formulated cricket feed, and we've been using poultry feeds which are expensive and not designed for crickets," Kayizi said. "This new feed from food waste will lower our production costs and help us sell crickets at fair prices and make profits."

UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi lauded the project as a strong example of university research solving real community challenges.

"This project shows how research can lead to innovation, innovation to products, and products to industrialization," Mushengyezi said. "If scaled up, such projects can greatly reduce waste, improve sanitation, and create new industries that will benefit the country's economy."

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