Pereira, Gabriel Philip Alves2025-07-112024Pereira, Gabriel Philip Alves. (2024). Unlocking Sustainability: An Exploration of the Potential for Food Waste Conversion into Energy and Value-Added Products for Effective Landfill Diversion in South Africa [Masters dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/45411https://hdl.handle.net/10539/45411A research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in the field of Civil and Environmental Engineering, In the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment , School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024This research report examines the potential for transforming food waste into energy and value-added products as a sustainable strategy for diverting waste from landfills in South Africa. The study uses a social cost-benefit framework to evaluate various waste conversion technologies, including anaerobic digestion, aerobic composting, vermicomposting, and black soldier fly larvae, within South Africa's unique socio- economic and environmental landscape. The study combines quantitative waste composition analyses with technology evaluations, revealing significant landfilling costs and underscoring the economic and environmental urgency of strategic food waste diversion. Highlighting gate fees' critical role, the findings advocate adjusting these fees to incentivise sustainable waste management practices. Notably, Black Soldier Fly larvae and Vermicomposting technologies emerge as dual-benefit strategies for waste reduction and resource recovery. The report calls for policy and infrastructure advancements to enable the broad adoption of these technologies, emphasising their importance in achieving sustainability and economic objectives.en© 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.UCTDFood wasteanaerobic digestionaerobic compostingvermicompostingblack soldier fly larvaelandfill diversionSocial cost-benefit analysiswaste to energygate feesorganic wasteDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSDG-17: Partnerships for the goals