Rapid Bioconversion of Animal Meat Waste into Compost Using Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens): A More Sustainable Approach

In Western diets, meat is the common item obtained from different sources such as poultry, seafood, pigs, goats, and sheep. The insidious animal meat waste from slaughterhouses and processed animal meat waste is a threat to the environment since it acts as a pathogenic harbor. Besides serving as feed to poultry and animal protein, black soldier fly larvae have a high potential to feed on any organic waste provided it has good moisture content. To avoid havoc from animal meat waste, black soldier fly larvae can be considered to efficiently treat animal meat waste and convert it into eco-friendly compost. They also provide a cradle-to-cradle system. Therefore, the black soldier fly larvae can be used for the dual purpose of sustainable animal meat–waste treatment, and the pupa can be used as a protein and calcium source for the animals. This chapter recapitulates the present state of knowledge about black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) and elaborates on their potential applications in the sustainable management of animal meat and seafood waste.