BugCycle

About the team

Our team, composed of NTU undergraduate students, is driven by a commitment to sustainability and innovation. Taha and Marcus, environmental engineering students, specialize in waste management and sustainability principles. Nayla, a chemical engineering student, provides insights into chemical processes and treatment methods. Together, we aim to address food waste as one of today’s critical environmental and economic challenges by developing it into valuable resources for a healthier and sustainable planet.

Our vision

Our long-term vision is to tackle the critical issue of food waste, which continues to be discarded at scale, causing environmental harm and resource loss. We aim to promote a circular economy through bioconversion by returning nutrients to the ecosystem, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizing landfill dependence. Our approach leverages nature-based processes, specifically by using Black Soldier Fly Larvae, to handle non-homogeneous food waste that is often challenging to process. Educational institutions are our primary market, as they not only generate consistent food waste but also offer a unique platform to educate and engage students in sustainability practices. By implementing on-site systems within schools, we can create hands-on learning opportunities while demonstrating scalable, low-energy waste management solutions. Over time, we envision expanding to other urban facilities and institutions, making localized, circular waste processing a widely adopted model for sustainability.

Our solution

BugCycle is an on-site food waste management system that utilizes Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) to convert food waste into high-value products: frass, a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer, and protein-rich larvae suitable for animal feed. This bioconversion process is efficient, low-energy, and well-suited for non-homogeneous food waste, which is often difficult to manage using conventional methods. What sets BugCycle apart is its focus on educational institutions as a starting point. Schools generate consistent amounts of food waste, provide a semi-controlled environment, and offer a unique opportunity to integrate sustainability education into daily operations. Students can directly participate in managing the system, observe real-time environmental impact, and learn about circular economy principles. By combining BSFL bioconversion with compact food preprocessing units, the system operates entirely on-site—reducing transportation costs, emissions, and reliance on centralized facilities. The solution is modular, scalable, and adaptable to various urban contexts. BugCycle transforms food waste from a disposal problem into a resource loop that benefits local ecosystems and communities, making it both a practical solution and an educational tool. It aligns with zero-waste ambitions while fostering a new generation of sustainability-minded learners and leaders.

Our Artist impression

Social media pitch