Soldier worm to remove garbage in Kochi

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation is deploying black soldier fly larvae to process the 100 tonnes of food waste arriving at the Brahmapuram plant every day. This successful method is being implemented in European countries on an experimental basis. Composting using black soldier fly larvae is being done in various cities including Erode and Palakkad.

The main food of soldier larvae is meat and organic waste. Each worm can ingest up to 200 grams of waste a day. Worms are not only harmless to humans or birds but are beneficial in many ways. Black soldier fly is a common type of fly. They do not sit on food or spread infectious diseases. The male flies die after mating and the female flies die after laying eggs. The larvae that hatch from the eggs eat the garbage and turn it into organic fertilizer.

The larval life span is 22 days. By mixing the plant's lab-grown larvae with organic waste, the waste turns into fertilizer within two weeks. Manure can be strained and used for agriculture. Larvae can be extracted from manure, cooked and fed to animals, poultry and fish.

Provisional system

The bio CNG plant to be set up by BPCL at Brahmapuram is expected to become a reality by August 2025. The Soldier worm project is being considered as a temporary system till then.

"There is no financial cost to the corporation. It is also environment friendly. The project is being undertaken by Sigma Company, which was selected through tender. It is a company that treats organic waste using larvae."

Babu Abdul Kader

Secretary

Kochi Corporation