Hospital and market, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Freetown, Sierra Leone, faces significant challenges in food waste management, with over 70% of waste being organic. Much of it ends up in landfills, causing environmental damage, including groundwater contamination during monsoon and methane emissions from rotting food waste. Freetown struggles with frequent power shortages, making access to reliable electricity scarce. The city needs innovative solutions to address these issues while promoting sustainability and public health.

The turning point: choosing on-site food waste valorization

Two separate Waste Transformers turn food waste into energy, which is used to co-power the hospital next door and the city lights in the food market. By incorporating local communities and businesses to source their food waste and divert this from landfill, the project aims to create sustainable, circular solutions that address both energy shortages and waste disposal issues.

The solution

The Waste Transformer installed at the female hospital processes local food waste into energy and natural fertilizer. A second biodigester at the Susan’s Bay food market in Freetown has a similar capacity to process 350kg of food waste daily, producing electricity and liquid fertilizer.

Key components of the local setup:

Decentralized processing

A strategic location central to the sourced food waste streams.

Food waste awareness

A local app connects the businesses with a waste collector to collect food waste on demand.

Job creation

In cooperation with a local organization, jobs are created to bring the food waste to the Waste Transformer.

Achieving goals

With the two Waste Transformer biodigesters in Freetown, it allows the city to:

Reduce pressure on full landfills: 255 tons of food waste can yearly be diverted from landfill.
Tangible action: Create visible urban examples for valorization of food waste and inspire Freetownians to separate waste streams.
Energy access: Co-power streetlights at the local food market.

What's next?

Future plans include expanding the Waste Transformer network across Freetown, increasing food waste separation rates, and boosting community awareness. The project aims to scale production of energy and fertilizers, supporting local businesses and agriculture while contributing to the city’s sustainability goals.

Your food waste solution is within reach

The Waste Transformers offers a modular solution to food waste management, which is also sustainable and efficient in operations. By leveraging local resources and engaging communities, this project provides a model for other cities facing similar waste issues and paves the way for a sustainable circular economy.

Let us help you process your food waste on-site, cut emissions, and inspire your employees and stakeholders with good action. Contact us today to discuss how a Waste Transformer biodigester can speed up your decarbonization goals.

Let’s talk opportunities

We're here to help businesses understand their food waste management practices and create a more sustainable operation. Together, we can tackle one of your biggest environmental polluters – food waste!

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