Waste-to-Resource System

Startup Description:

The startup was established in 2015 in Singapore to address the need for a viable way to manage and tackle the burgeoning problem of food waste.

Funding:

The startup is looking to raise a total of SGD 1.0 million for its Pre-seed fundraising round. The proceeds will be used for the following purposes:

• Market traction in China through deployment of products
• Human capital development

Problem:

Globally, food waste has been on an upward trend. The United Nations estimates that about one-third of all the food produced in the world, or about 1.3 billion tonnes, is lost or wasted every year. Put in perspective, if food waste were a country, it would rank as the world’s top producer of greenhouse emissions just after the United States and China.

Within Singapore, 763,000 tonnes of food waste was generated in 2018, equivalent to the weight of 54,000 double-decker buses. This has increased by about 30 per cent over the last decade. The Singapore government has stepped in with the Singapore 2019 Zero Waste Masterplan, which makes it compulsory for commercial and industrial premises that generate a large amount of food waste to treat organic waste on-site.

Solution/Product/Business Model:

The startup has created an on-site food/organic waste recycling system that is well placed to capitalize on the global food waste trend and the Singapore Masterplan. Food waste is converted into electricity, biogas and liquid fertilizer using an anaerobic digestion process. This addresses the topic of sustainability in two ways: (a) Waste management that leads to (b) Sustainable energy production. The key value proposition of the product is that it is odourless, compact, does not require periodic maintenance and produces by-products at a high yield.

Journey/Plan:

The startup has successfully conducted three pilots in Singapore. With the positive results, companies from both Singapore and China have expressed interest in conducting pilots. The startup plans to expand into China, where there is huge market potential. The Chinese government has required a total of 46 major cities to have regulations on waste sorting and treatment by the end of 2020. Furthermore, the regulations will be extended to 300+ cities by 2025.