KEEP UP WITH LATEST NEWS.

Arbor Week: Supporting soil to support urban greening projects

As Arbor Week in South Africa approaches, there’s a growing conversation around the importance of urban greening and the beneficial role this plays in our cities. While planting trees and food gardens can have far-reaching environmental and social benefits, this can only be sustained if the soil is taken care of first. This is why

Read More »

Taking an in-depth look at South Africa’s food waste situation

It’s a figure that not only does the waste management sector know very well but also the food production industry, as many are uncomfortable with the 10 million tonnes of food waste that is produced every year. Understandably, as a large percentage of the country struggles with food security. However, taking a closer look at the food supply chain, provides a better understanding of the source of food waste per commodity, which also presents opportunities to reduce wastage and create circularity within the food production system; something that is needed. BiobiN South Africa takes a closer look at the food loss and waste stream.

Read More »

BiobiN launches 1 cubic metre mobile composting bin

In response to the growing industry need to divert food and organic waste from landfill, BiobiN South Africa has just launched its new mini BiobiN – a 1m3 mobile unit that can process up to 800 kilograms of organic waste. The new 1m3 mini mobile BiobiN has been designed to cater for the smaller commercial organic waste generators, and for businesses that are limited with space. The unit can be wheeled around making it an extremely versatile option. So all the client needs to do , is wheel it into place and plug it in.

Read More »

Proposed Draft Food Losses and Waste Strategy to bring changes to organic waste management in 2024.

South Africa is known to have some of the best waste management regulations and policies in the world, however progress towards a fully integrated circular economy is slow. This is especially evident within the food and organic waste stream with a total of 12.6 million tonnes of food loss and waste generated on an annual basis. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment’s (DFFE) response has introduced the Draft Strategy for Reducing Food Losses and Waste which was made available for comment in September 2023.

Read More »

Food waste increases by 25% over festive season

While many of us start to put of daily stresses aside, the waste management sector experiences a significant increase in food and organic waste during the festive season. This places an increase amount of pressure on the waste sector, including the waste collection services, landfill sites and the natural environment. According to waste statistics, South Africa produces 25% more food and organic waste during the festive season, compared to other months.

Read More »

A new waste management priority: keeping baboons out of your organic waste

While our focus for the waste management sector has largely been placed on diverting waste streams from landfill to create a circular economy, a priority of equal importance is keeping waste contained so that it does not pollute the surrounding areas. The new challenge of baboons in many parts of the Western Cape is forcing many companies that produce high volumes of food and organic waste, to implement new ways to prevent their bins being raided and emptied to pollute the environment.

Read More »

A rise in community food gardens sparks an increasing in demand for compost

Community gardens are fast becoming the preferred land-use for many public open spaces. South Africa has seen a significant increase in the number of community food gardens in many major metros as well as rural townships, and schools. While this sustainable land use model brings many benefits to the surrounding communities and environment, organisations that manage these public community gardens are often faced with the challenge of resource shortages, especially a reliable and cost-effective supply of compost.

Read More »

Avian flu outbreak signals the need for more bio-secure waste management.

At the beginning of May, the Western Cape Veterinary Services announced the detection of Avian influenza at two commercial farms within the Western Cape. Since the announcement, approximately 550 000 chickens have been culled and many more eggs destroyed to prevent the further spread of the virus. This leaves the poultry sector with thousands of kilograms of high-risk – hazardous organic waste that needs to be carefully disposed of and treated. BiobiN South Africa discusses the importance of bio-secure waste management within the poultry sector to safeguard livestock, food production and to prevent further contamination.

Read More »

Reducing your waste tariffs by forming a waste management club

With ambitious organic waste diversion goals, the City of Cape Town has implemented various regulatory strategies to encourage businesses and residents to minimise and divert more waste. One of these strategies is Waste Minimisation Clubs (WMC). This is a collective of people within a residential or business cluster that take ownership of the area’s waste minimisation and diversion initiatives. BiobiN South Africa looks at how composting units are a key component to make a WMC viable.

Read More »

Looking at organic waste market growth indicators

When we start to look at the food and organic waste stream as a secondary resource that has economic value, we change our perception of this waste type as something burdensome that will be expensive to landfill. When we start to consider that food and organic waste is actually recyclable, we can see that there is an entire economic value chain for this waste stream. The impeding organic waste landfill ban in the Western Cape in 2027 is also accelerating the development of the organic waste secondary market and with this development, more business are implementing ways to extract value from their organic waste stream.

Read More »

Healthy soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People

Friday, 07 April 2023, is World Health Day, drawing our attention to the importance of human health and well-being. A common theme for World Health Day every year is the link that is drawn between human health and environmental health, especially our soils, where we derive most of our food from, and even our modern medicines. BiobiN South Africa highlights soil health and conservation as a key environmental concern that impacts human health. 

Read More »

Looking at a growing market for organic waste.

It is not only solid recyclable waste that can repurpose to re-enter the market; organic waste can also follow a circular economic model to add value to the economy as well as the environment. Let’s take a look at why composting is the more financially feasible solution to deal with organic waste, compared to other waste disposal and treatment methods.

Read More »

Tips to meet your waste management targets

To be able to report on your waste management performance, the first step is to draft and implement a waste management strategy with waste reduction and diversion targets. There is no one-size fits all waste management strategy; establishing targets is dependent on the nature of waste streams, volumes, recycling and disposal infrastructure.

Read More »

World Water Day: 22 March 2023

Wednesday, 22 March 2023 is World Water Day, dedicated towards accelerating water conservation, safeguarding natural water resources, and increasing access to water for drinking and sanitation. This is a global priority and is recognised under the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6).

Read More »

World Wildlife Day – 03 March 2023
Soil as the foundation of ecosystem health

The majority of our food is extracted from natural environments, and when not managed sustainably,
we will consume resources at a rate that is faster than what we can replenish them. The same goes
for soil. When extensively worked, soil can erode, losing key organic contents and its ability to support
plant life and the rest of the ecosystem. This includes the micro and macro species that inhabit these
areas. Soil can be said to be the foundation of ecosystem health.

Read More »

Addressing the state of South Africa’s soil.

One of South Africa’s most valuable resources requires us to implement considerable management
and conservation measures, should we want to have this resource available to us in the future. Our
soil allows us to grow food, keep groundwater clean, regulate local climate conditions, and supports
the rest of the ecosystem.

Read More »

Load shedding has led to higher volumes of organic waste.

While many businesses are finding a way to keep their power on and operations running, businesses within the agriculture, food processing and hospitality sectors are also dealing with an increase in organic waste due to load shedding. An interrupted power supply is affecting cold storage units, ovens, and production lines. This has resulted in higher volumes of food and organic waste from these sectors.

Read More »

An overview of the Norms and Standards for Organic Waste Composting

The waste management sector for solid, liquid and hazardous waste is tightly regulated according to the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM:WA) and waste classification regulations. Depending on the nature of the waste, specific on-site transport and disposal protocols should apply. For the most part, the handling, transport and disposal of waste stream requires you to have a waste management licence. This, however, is not necessarily the case for organic waste composting.

Read More »
Scroll to Top