The Hyatt Regency Sydney, Australia’s largest hotel, has become the first hotel in the world to implement Goterra’s compact sustainable food waste management system onsite.
Goterra’s system, created and led by CEO Olympia Yarger, utilises Black Soldier Fly larvae to break down food waste onsite rapidly and at a large scale. Housed in high-tech, containerised units dubbed ‘Maggot Robots,’ the larvae can devour vast amounts of food waste, reducing it by 95% in just 24 hours, according to the company.
The cooperation with Hyatt Regency marks another industry first for the Canberra start-up, who has been processing Melbourne Airport’s food waste since late last year.
As Australia’s largest premium hotel with 878 rooms and capacity for up to 1,000 guests, the Hyatt Regency actively manages hundreds of tonnes of food waste per year. Beyond diverting the waste from landfill, the new system closes the circularity loop by providing the resulting protein or ‘fras’ produced by the insects as a feed mix alternative to the hotel’s key egg supplier, Hilltops Free Range.
“This partnership with the Hyatt Regency Sydney, Hilltop Free Range, and Goterra is substantial evidence of the network effect of technology that empowers a circular economy,” Yarger told Future Alternative.
“Aside from a tech stack that combines the biological power of insects with autonomous robotics, the ability for our customers to support and participate in agricultural ecosystems has become a powerful force multiplier that creates enduring and powerful partnerships that we’re all incredibly proud of.”
“Goterra plays perfectly into Hyatt’s World Of Care Environmental, Social and Governance efforts,” Hotel General Manager, Jane Lyons, told Future Alternative. “By adopting this innovative waste management system, we are reducing our environmental impact as well as supporting Hyatt’s culinary ethos of ‘Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served’ with the collaboration with Hilltops Free Range, as the first of hopefully many suppliers to integrate into the process.”
The initiative is also highly supported by the Hyatt Regency Sydney’s owners M&L Hospitality, with Executive Director and owner of Hyatt Regency Sydney, Jocelyn Kum, serving as one of the key drivers behind the introduction of the system.
“By being the first hotel in the world to implement the compact sustainable food waste management system onsite, we are setting a new standard for the industry and demonstrating our dedication to driving positive environmental impact,” Kum told Future Alternative. “This initiative not only enhances our operational sustainability but also inspires others in the hospitality sector to follow suit in creating a greener future.”
The hospitality industry is only the latest sector to adopt Goterra’s waste management technology — in June, the start-up announced a one-year trial program with the city of Sydney that aims to divert up to 600 tonnes of food waste from landfills.
Goterra is also expanding its network of recipients for its outputs, working with the world’s largest fish feed business, Skretting, to include Australian insect protein in aquaculture feeds.
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