Guangzhou has launched a pilot program to raise a special kind of fly that can dissolve kitchen waste at a rate of 100 tons per day.

With a total investment of $35 million, the program aims to raise black soldier flies to dissolve kitchen waste at a garbage disposal site in the Baiyun district of Guangzhou. Four tons of waste are deposited at the site every day. The insect larva can consume up to 200 tons of kitchen waste per day, Guangzhou Daily reported.

The project has been in trial operation since last September. It will be officially launched in the second half of 2017.

According to the project manager, black soldier flies are native to Guangdong province. They feed on fallen leaves as well as organic matter contained in soil. They are not harmful to other plants or animals. In addition, once they finish digesting kitchen waste, the insects' discharge can be used as fertilizer. Over 15 kilograms of black soldier flies can be raised on a single square meter of earth; these flies can then consume about 10 kilograms of kitchen waste in a day.

“If garbage is buried in a landfill, it can lead to soil and water pollution. It also occupies a large amount of land. Meanwhile, burning the garbage could release toxic gas,” the manager told Guangzhou Daily.

Huang Yanhua, a researcher with the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that black soldier flies can live for up to 35 days, and consume the most kitchen waste during their larva stage. Adult black soldier flies live for about 10 days.