A NEAR-ZERO carbon science museum was inaugurated in Yantian District recently to improve the public’s awareness of garbage classification and carbon emission reduction, especially among young people, and help the district build a “near-zero carbon” pilot community, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

The museum, located at No. 260 Wutongshan Boulevard, covers an area of nearly 300 square meters and includes three visiting zones. At present, the museum has completed equipment installation and debugging process.

The museum is an important project for Yantian District to promote green and low-carbon development and to combat climate change. It will help reduce carbon emissions from garbage transfer and treatment and offer a new idea for building a “near-zero carbon” pilot community, according to district officials.

A staffer from the science museum said that as the museum has officially opened to the public, “more people will learn about new kitchen waste treatment methods such as using black solider flies to treat organic waste and other interesting knowledge.”

The larvae produced by the black soldier flies’ transformation process can be used as high-protein feed, the insect feces produced can be used as substitutes for organic fertilizers, and the antibacterial peptides and chitin contained in black soldier flies can be used in the pharmaceutical industry, according to the staffer.

By introducing the farming technology of black soldier flies, communities can handle about 3 metric tons of kitchen waste each day. The carbon and nitrogen in organic waste can be converted into high value-added biomass. The benefit of this is equivalent to planting more than 7,000 trees a year, according to the Daily report. (Wang Jingli)