KFC Pilots Plant-Based Packaging That Breaks Down Into Fertilizer After Use

Image via KFC Singapore

When your fried chicken buckets are wiped out, they, too, could be turned into food for plants. 

KFC in Singapore is trialing plant-based food packaging designed to be converted into fertilizers, a global first for the fast-food giant. The pilot, made possible with a proprietary system by local food packaging startup TRIA, will take place over a course of six months at one location.

The reimagined wrappers and boxes are constructed from a mixture of paper and nature-based bioplastics, with the latter being made from natural ingredients like corn and sugarcane pulp sourced from the US, Thailand, and Taiwan.

But consumers would be none the wiser, as the packaging has the same look and feel as its original counterparts.

After the packaging is discarded, a specialized waste digester collects both food waste and packaging from KFC and converts them into farm-ready fertilizer within just 24 hours. The end product will be used to support the nation’s agriculture.

The facility is able to turn 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds) of food waste into 440 to 660 pounds of plant food.

“Globally, no fast-food brand has managed to close the loop for dine-in single-use packaging,” KFC Singapore and TRIA detail in a press release.

It’s not just about the world’s plastic problem—TRIA notes that there’s a growing urgency to obtain sustainable fertilizers as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has disrupted shipments.

The packaging startup is also working with Norwegian fertilizer producer Yara International to make the system scalable as well as turn the fertilizer into one that’s commercial-grade, the Straits Times hears.

[via Mothership.sg and The Straits Times, images via KFC Singapore]