Are genetically modified soldier flies the next frontier in waste management?

Modified waste-eating flies put to work: Australian scientists have genetically engineered a black soldier flies — already used to commercially consume organic waste — to expand their ability to consume more types of waste while producing useful ingredients used in manufacturing, The Guardian reports, citing a study (pdf).

Useful nuisances: Black soldier flies can produce ingredients used to make lubricants, biofuels, and high grade animal feeds when breaking down organic waste. They can be found globally except in Antarctica and can eat double their body weight, consuming waste faster than microbes.

What’s next: The university team set up a company named EntoZyme to take their genetically modified flies to commercial operations by the end of 2024. They’re also considering engineering the flies to deal with pollutants in different ways such as breaking them down into less toxic or inorganic compounds, evaporating them, or taking them into their bodies to leave clean and organic waste behind.

An answer to the world’s growing waste problem? The team of researchers in Sydney’s Macquarie University hope these modified flies can help reduce the amount of methane produced when organic waste is broken down. One of the scientists described it as the “next frontier” of waste management solutions as the world grapples with increasing amounts of food waste, already estimated at 1 bn tons a year.