Bristol inventors behind app that could slash food waste

An app designed to cut food waste in the education sector could reduce landfill and save money, say its inventors.

KnoWaste is the brainchild of students Sophie Elliott, Edward Stratton, Charlie Royle and Kesta Kemp, who have been awarded a £10,000 funding pot from the University of Bristol’s Runway Entrepreneurship Competition to develop their idea into a business.

With schools, colleges and universities throwing away some 150m tonnes of food each year, at a cost of around £250m, the startup team believe their invention has the potential to cut waste by 50 per cent and reduce costs to an institution by six per cent.

The technology enables diners to log into an app and pick their food for the week in advance. Knowing the demand for each meal means caterers are not forced to over produce – a simple change the KnoWaste team say could have huge ramifications for the industry.

KnoWaste was one of 14 student final year projects exhibited at the university’s Innovation Student Showcase.

Speaking about the funding, Kesta, an anthropology with innovation student, said: “Winning this award takes KnoWaste to the next level. We can now further develop our technology for the roll out in September.

“Although still in its early stages, our waste management technology has the potential to massively reduce food waste, all while saving institutes time and money.”

The app also shows diners the environmental impact of each meal, allowing them to make informed choices about what they eat. The KnoWaste team have conducted some early tests at primary schools in Bath and Truro and have had encouraging results.

Other startups that received funding to develop their projects included:

H2 Nutrition: Sport-loving best friends Hywel Rose and Hugh Hamilton-Green, won £8,000 to develop H2 Nutrition, a high protein and fibre and low sugar plant-based cereal.

Fed up with existing products that are low in nutritional value and high in sugar, the pair hope their product will help people lead healthier lifestyles.

C.U.P: Students Kira Goode and Monica Wai won £7,000 to develop their menstrual cup cleaning and sterilising case.

They hope the easy-to-use innovation will encourage more women to dispense with single-use period products, which have traditionally been more convenient but have a big environmental impact.

Presenting the awards was Simon Pillar, a University of Bristol alumnus and co-founder of Australasian investment firm Pacific Equity Partners.

He said: “It was terrific judging such great ideas, all of which have potential to make a real and lasting impact on the world.

“Picking the prize winners was not easy but KnoWaste’s clear vision for a product that can create change, starting at a very local level with the potential to scale up across customer segments and geographies, really impressed us.

“I would like to thank all of the students for their great ideas and the work that has gone into these pitches, and on behalf of all of the Runway panel we are looking forward to seeing how they develop in the future.”

The showcase also featured a keynote from Joanna Choukeir of the RSA, who champions design for social innovation, and breakout sessions on sustainable innovation and emerging entrepreneurship trends.

Tom Ellson, director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said: “Over the five years since the inception of the centre, our students have continued to exceed our expectations with their creativity and drive.”

Main photo courtesy of Bristol University

Read more: The Bristol startup pioneering ‘pee equality’ for women