Robotic insect startup Goterra to turn household food scraps into animal feed in Sydney

Robotic insect farm startup Goterra will use maggots to help transform food scraps from Sydney households into animal feed and fertiliser, after scoring a new partnership with the City of Sydney.

The 2023 Smart50 Sustainability Award winner will deploy its modular robotic system to process up to 600 tonnes of food waste from Sydney residents during a trial that will initially run for 12 months but may be extended beyond this time frame.

The trail will begin operations later this year, and comes after Goterra inked a deal with Tasmania-based aquaculture feed supplier Skretting Australia at the end of May.

Founded in 2016 by former sheep farmer Olympia Yarger, Canberra-based Goterra has previously raised $18 million in external capital, and is working with the likes of Woolworths and Brisbane hospitality precinct Howard Smith Wharves to tackle food waste in a way that also produces protein-rich animal feed and fertilisers.

Placing 47th on the 2023 Smart50 Awards list in November last year, Goterra was recording annual revenue of close to $2 million and employed a team of 54.