Waste management has been a global environmental topic for some time. For places – especially islands – that are isolated, this issue becomes more urgent.

Santa Catalina Island, less than 50 miles southwest of Los Angeles, welcomes nearly one million tourists from all around the world each year. Behind the beautiful view, Catalina is in a race against time to maintain sustainability.

According to the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, located on the island, one-third of all the food produced on the planet is tossed. With the increasing volume of food waste accumulating on the island’s landfill, how to efficiently dispose, or even reclaim, food waste is a pressing need.

To tackle the problem, the institute is exploring the use of new techniques for recycling food waste and compostable materials achieved through one little thing: the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens.

This fly larvae feed on decaying scraps and turns the waste into nutrient-rich compost and raw materials that can be used to produce biodegradable batteries. Meanwhile, the larvae itself is converted into protein-rich animal feedstock or biodiesel production.

Using black soldier flies breaks the traditional food waste cycle, bypassing the landfill and putting the scraps back into food production. This new approach – currently in a small scale at the institute – is a revolutionary solution toward the goal of sustainability.