Tabemaru
July 2023 — Ongoing
Project Collaborator: Applied Entomology Lab
Japan imports around 90% of its fertilisers used for food production, leaving it dependent on foreign resources. At the same time, over 5 million tonnes of food is wasted each year. We see an opportunity to gradually replace imported fertilisers by harnessing the nutrients from food waste.
We are prototyping a system for restaurants called TabeMaru that hosts a colony of black soldier flies (known as BSF) which turn food waste into organic fertiliser. After placing food scraps in self-contained, on-site units, the BSF larvae quickly and efficiently decompose the waste, resulting in up to a 95% reduction in volume thus negating the need for frequent disposal. The system detects when the processed matter (frass) is ready and automatically separates it from unprocessed food. The system then facilitates shipping the frass to farms where it can be used to fertilise new crops.
By closing the loop between production and consumption, we aim to reduce the reliance on imported fertilisers and foster greater agricultural resilience in Japan.
TabeMaru Service Blueprint
The unit is designed to be desirable in a restaurant environment: adult BSF will be hosted and displayed in a terrarium-like environment. Food waste first enters a composting area of the unit where the larvae quickly turn it into frass. The unit then mechanically separates the bottom layer of frass which falls into a collectable package ready to be labelled and shipped.
The service matches frass produced in a restaurant with particular farms: an onboard program estimates the potential output from the restaurant and matches it with farming activities requiring a similar quality of organic fertiliser.
TabeMaru Processing Unit
Project Timeline
September 2023
Started collaboration with the Applied Entomology Lab
December 2023
Built a full scale prototype of the processing unit
January 2024
Received the first BSF colony from our partner
March 2024
Completed first full lifecycle of BSF inside prototype unit
Mid 2024
Run the first trial in which our prototype unit is installed within a canteen at the University of Tokyo
Mid–Late 2024
Develop relationships with local farms to test the fertiliser we produce
Early 2025
Deploy a unit capable of sustaining the BSF lifecycle and processing food waste without supervision
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