Waste Recovery

An innovative SME in the UK is developing protein-rich powders from surplus fruit and vegetables, in a bid to bring provenance to the supplements market whilst providing a food waste solution.

FareShare is the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity fighting hunger and food waste across the nation. With the help of 1,500 volunteers, FareShare is able to redistribute good food that would otherwise go to waste to almost 11,000 frontline charities and community groups that support vulnerable people in over 320 towns and cities. To date, the organisation has donated almost 25,000 tonnes of food to charities providing the equivalent of 57.3 million meals to vulnerable people.

There’s a better end for used food than taking up space in landfills and contributing to global warming.  ​Beneficial bacteria flourished in citrus growing systems treated with fermented waste by-products. UC Riverside scientists have discovered fermented food waste can boost bacteria that increase crop growth,…

The avocado industry has, at times, been on the receiving end of criticism due to the high amounts of water needed to produce avocados. As the climate in which avocados thrive comes with drought conditions, the high volumes of water required for the avocado production can pose issues. Chile,…

As fresh water supplies become increasingly limited and the world's population continues to grow, Auburn University College of Agriculture researchers are working on ways to find and utilize alternative water resources for irrigating crops. "One proven source that can meet this demand is wastewater,"…

Concrete, being the universal building material of choice for countless structures, also has a huge environmental footprint mostly due to carbon dioxide emissions from the production of cement. That is why researchers are now experimenting with root vegetables and recycled plastic in concrete to see…

Approximately 21 million pallets are needed each year for the export of fruit from the tropics. These pallets need large amounts of wood and too much energy is consumed in their distribution. Start-up Yellow Pallet makes pallets from banana fiber; a more sustainable option that counters deforestation.…

When it comes to finding solutions to a big problem, there doesn’t seem to be anything that’s better than using something that people really want to get rid of as the raw materials for your next big idea. Take pineapple crowns, for example. All over the world, pineapple processing centers are left with…

Researchers in Malaysia have found a way to turn fiber from pineapple leaves into material sturdy enough to make drone frames. Professor Mohamed Thariq Hameed Sultan of Putra University told Reuters that drones built with the material had a higher st...

Pilot project is undertaken by a major Japanese manufacturer to demonstrate the chemical recycling of polystyrene (PS). This will help establish an effective chemical recycling technology able to convert materials back into their original building blocks. This could expand the scope of resource recycling and help contribute to a circular economy.

Two researchers at UNSW Sydney are looking into a way to turn banana plantation waste into packaging material that is both biodegradable and recyclable. Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot, UNSW School of Chemical Engineering and Professor Martina Stenzel, UNSW School of Chemistry were looking for ways…

Embion Technologies, a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, has entered into a joint development agreement with Japanese drinks giant Asahi Group Holdings to up-cycle brewing by-products into âsuper potent extractsâ for food production.

The organic cycling science leader Re-Nuble closed a $1.1 million seed round. Re-Nuble's core technology upcycles organic compounds from unrecoverable vegetative food waste, generating water-soluble, organic hydroponic nutrients for soilless farms. The invested seed round monies will expand their team,…

Research by A. Richa, S. Touil and M. Fizir highlights the recent developments in the treatment of hydroponic wastewater. The rapid development of hydroponic farming produces a large amount of wastewater rich in nutrients and organic matters thus imposes great harm to humans and the environment if the…

The Upcycled Food Association has published its first ever draft certification standard. It is also in the process of developing a food label for certified products, the UFAâs COO revealed.

Cultivating mushrooms produces a lot of waste. For every kilogram of mushrooms produced, about three kilograms of soil-like material containing straw, manure and peat is left behind. In the EU, this results in more than 3 billion kilograms of waste per year. Managing this waste is a challenge. Although…

Carvey Maigue of Mapua University has been shortlisted for the James Dyson Award 2020 for his system called AuREUS, a device that transforms rotten fruit and vegetables into clean, renewable electricity. His invention was among 1,800 entries from young inventors and design engineers from 27 countries…

Spilt Milk

One elusive white whale in the fight against climate change has been carbon capture: tech that could scrub carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, but hasn’t yet been developed at scale.

The trick is finding the right material that can bind to carbon atoms released into the air. Now, scientists from Clarkson University say they’ve found the best one yet — waste milk.

The unpleasant-sounding research, which was published in the journal Advanced Sustainable Systems, could help us control carbon emissions — and prevent the food waste that contributes to them.

Green Carbon

Currently, dairy farms throw away 50 million gallons of perfectly-good surplus milk every year, according to a Clarkson press release on the study. Instead of pouring it down the drain, the scientists found milk to be a cheap source of activated carbons — the porous material that sticks to carbon — which are more environmentally friendly than other sources being explored.

French bakery La PanetiÃre des Hameaux has developed a cookie recipe that up-cycles stale bread. FoodNavigator hears more about this innovative approach to food waste.

500Foods shared this story from FP.com.

A company in Colombia is making eco-friendly plates out of the tops of old pineapples. Amazingly, these plates, made by Lifepack, contain seeds that can sprout in soil. The plates are Lifepack's latest effort to reduce plastic waste worldwide. The 12-year-old company also makes sandwich containers and…

There is a new, eco-friendly shoe collection from New Zealand, made from products like bamboo, algae, sugarcane and pineapple husk. Produced by Wellington-based start-up YY Nation, the new shoes aim to take sustainability in the footwear industry to a whole new level. Some call it a much-needed change…

Fish contains many nutrients such as ammonia which is good for plants growth. Now many farmers using Fish amino acid as a organic compound. It's good for all kinds of vegetables and flowers.

In the driest state in the driest continent in the world, South Australian farmers are acutely aware of the impact of water shortages and drought. So, when it comes to irrigation, knowing which method works best is vital for sustainable crop development. Now, new research from the University of South…

Banana is one of the oldest tropical fruit of the world. It is also known as Adam’s fig, Apple of Paradise, Tree of wisdom, “Kalpataru” (a plant with virtue), Kera etc. Depending upon genomic constitution, botanical name of cultivated bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana, and Musa paradisiaca (Musa acuminate*Musa balbisiana).

In the driest state in the driest continent in the world, South Australian farmers are acutely aware of the impact of water shortages and drought. So, when it comes to irrigation, knowing which method works best is vital for sustainable crop development. Now, new research from the University of South…

Dutch start-up Greencovery has developed technology that helps food manufacturers recover valuable compounds from their side-streams. The resulting âhigh qualityâ ingredients help the business offer an âattractive economical propositionâ that reduces CO₂ and water consumption, co-founder and commercial director Juan Cajiao tells FoodNavigator.

On 18 September, Alderman Albert Abee of the municipality of Westland presented the first copy of the brochure 'From waste to income source! Better use of horticultural waste of the world!' to vice governor Adri Bom-Lemstra of the province of South Holland. The brochure explains what is important when it comes to reusing…

Nonprofit startup the Farmlink Project has rescued and transported about 13 million pounds of food since April. “We get in touch with farms and form relationships, acquire surplus produce like dairy and eggs and transport it to different communities, food banks and demand centers around the United States,” said co-founder William Collier.

Banana importer AgroFair is fair trade certified. But the certification has no rules about what the company should do with the large amount of plastic waste it produces. AgroFair is aiming for sustainable production. The company is using a subsidy from the Fund for Responsible Business to set up local…

Les Jardins de la Méditerranée/Imagine 84 is an association which was created in 2008 by the Ministry of Health as part of the operation “5 fruits and vegetables per day”. The action consists of recovering unsold produce from the fruit and vegetable sector in order to redistribute them to the…