A UK start-up with Cambridge roots that makes bins using microorganisms to separate food waste from other rubbish, used by hotels, airports and football clubs.
Vuala makes a food-waste bin that behaves like an artificial stomach. Instead of asking people to sort their rubbish, users throw everything into one bin. Microorganisms inside digest the food waste, and the metal and plastic left behind collect in a separate removable compartment. The digested food drains into a slurry tank, which can then be turned into things such as biogas, hydrogen or animal feed. Because the bin is airtight, it limits smells and pests, so it needs emptying monthly rather than weekly, which the company says cuts labour, transport and emissions. It sells the VualaX1 bin and also collects the treated waste from clients such as hotels and sports grounds.
Abiel Ma, the chief executive, grew up in Hong Kong and studied international business at the University of Sussex before an entrepreneurship master's degree at Cambridge Judge Business School. He says his interest in food waste began on a 2017 research trip to Rajasthan, India, where he saw children sorting waste by hand at a landfill. The technology was invented by his father, Anthony Ma, a chemical engineer and the company's chief technology officer, who had worked on water and environmental technology in Hong Kong. Abiel has said the company's mission is "to reduce 100 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in ten years". He has also said that "We're not asking people to do anything extra", and that for customers "Cost-saving is the most important part".
Vuala's UK footprint is spread across the places that backed it. A Cambridge Judge Business School article says it is based in Cambridge, with a pilot at the Bradfield Centre on Cambridge Science Park and trials planned at Homerton and Trinity Colleges. A UNICEF innovation profile lists it as operating in London's South Kensington and supported by Imperial College London's Undaunted accelerator, and as active in the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. A Homerton College article from January 2024 says machines were then installed at about 40 sites, with clients including Heathrow Airport and Chelsea Football Club. We could not confirm one current head office.
On people and culture, the Homerton article put the team at nine employees after about two years. Abiel has described a company that wants the planet to be a better place and that tries to reflect this in choices such as sustainable manufacturing materials, electric vehicles and hiring people who share those values. Working with his father he calls "a really precious moment". Those are the founder's own words, and the team will have changed since then.
A company making and servicing hardware needs product and mechanical engineers, microbiologists and process specialists, people to install and maintain the bins, drivers and logistics staff for collections, and sales and customer teams working with hotels, venues and universities. Because it is small, people there are likely to do several jobs at once. If you enjoy science, engineering or business and like practical problems, it shows how a simple idea can cut waste at real sites. Check its website for openings.
Website: www.vuala.co
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