In a country where over 70% of waste is food waste and much of it still ends up in landfills, Meenakshi Bhoopalan and her team are proving that one person’s leftovers can be another’s lifeline. The environmental engineer and founder of ETA Sustainable Solutions, pronounced E-T-A, has developed an innovative and rapid method to convert food waste into high-value farming products. Let’s read on to learn more about her journey.
The Spark Behind The Startup
Meenakshi’s interest in sustainability took root early on. “I had a passion for environment and sustainability since my late school days,” she recalls. “That's why I chose my education also in that sector. Energy and environmental engineering is my BTech degree.”
After working in a startup focused on corporate waste management, Meenakshi noticed a critical gap: while paper and plastic often found their way to recycling centres, food waste was consistently neglected. “More than 70% of the waste is food waste and it is going to landfills,” she says. “It is not being processed properly.”
Rethinking Waste Management
Composting, biogas, and vermicomposting technologies already existed, but weren’t solving the problem at scale or speed. “The return on investment is very low,” Meenakshi explains. “We need a technology that is very fast and can convert waste into marketable end products.”
That realisation led Meenakshi and her college classmates, now her co-founders, to explore alternative solutions. They landed on a unique idea, using black soldier fly larvae to rapidly break down food waste.
“In 15 days, we were able to completely convert the food waste into insect larvae biomass and compost,” Meenakshi says. “The food waste vanished in 15 days.”
How It Works
The process is both simple and highly efficient. “We introduce the insect in its larval stage into food waste. These larvae consume the waste and grow in size. At the end of 10 to 15 days, the waste is completely consumed, leaving only the larvae and their droppings,” she explained.
The results are two marketable products:
- Insect larvae are used as a sustainable, protein-rich feed for poultry and aquaculture.
- Compost, rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, is sold to nurseries, gardens, and farms.
“The insect larvae are given as a sustainable animal feed to chickens and fish,” Meenakshi explains. “And the compost is delivered to organic farms and nurseries.”
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A Pilot That Took Off
The journey began modestly. “We collected our kitchen scraps and experimented with this idea,” she shares. Encouraged by the results, the team approached the Madurai Municipal Corporation, which was impressed and granted them their first pilot project.
“Currently, we are operating at a scale of 500 to 800 kg per day,” Meenakshi notes. “We are processing food waste every single day and converting it into insect protein and compost.”
Meeting Market Needs
Their customer base is primarily B2B. “The animal feed goes to the poultry sector, chicken farms, and aqua feed manufacturers,” she says. “The compost goes to organic farms, nurseries, corporate gardens, and gated communities.”
While public awareness is growing, industry buyers already understand the value of insect protein. “They already have the awareness,” Meenakshi says. “Since we are producing it from waste, the cost is quite effective. The adoption is good. For us, the challenge is scale.”
Expansion is top of mind. “We want to increase the scale and make it a replicable model,” Meenakshi says. “Not just in Madurai, but also in different tier one and tier two cities in India. We want to show that we can process three tonnes of food waste a day and replicate the model across the country.”
Meenakshi recently appeared on Her Startup, a reality show spotlighting women entrepreneurs. “It was a good experience,” she says. “We got to meet people we had only seen on TV, and the training sessions helped us refine our communication. We're still in touch with other participants.”
The visibility helped too. “I’ve gotten a few inquiries after the show was aired,” Meenakshi says. “It adds credibility to us that Britannia has given recognition. We’ll be promoting the clips on our LinkedIn and Instagram.”
A Mission Rooted In Purpose
More than a business, Meenakshi sees ETA Sustainable Solutions as a movement. “Waste management is such a huge problem in India,” she says. “Food waste is not being processed, and it is polluting the water and air. But it has a lot of potential as well.”
Meenakshi aims to change the way India handles food waste and, in doing so, create a more sustainable future. “If this reaches a wider audience, it will be useful for everyone,” she adds. “There are good, innovative women building great things.”
Meenakshi’s journey is not only inspirational but also extremely thought-provoking. It teaches us that if you’re passionate about something, even waste can turn into gold.
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