Mill, a company focused on food recycling, has announced that its users have kept nearly 10 million pounds of food waste out of landfills. The company shared new data showing the impact of its system on reducing food waste in homes and workplaces.
Matt Rogers, Cofounder and CEO at Mill, said, “We know from our experience at Nest that people change their behavior when the better choice is also the easier one. That’s where Mill breaks through while other solutions fall short. We designed Mill to be a no-brainer: simpler, cleaner, and more efficient than anything else out there—and the data shows that it’s working.”
Food waste is a significant issue in the United States. According to a 2019 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only 3.7% of all food scraps nationwide were composted. Food is also the largest category in landfills and contributes to methane emissions—a greenhouse gas much stronger than carbon dioxide over two decades (see EPA documentation: https://www.epa.gov/waste-reduction-model/documentation-waste-reduction-model).
Mill’s system aims to make food recycling simple for users by drying and grinding scraps into shelf-stable material called “Food Grounds.” These can be composted locally or sent back to Mill for use as chicken feed ingredient.
Survey results from Mill customers show changes in behavior after adopting the system:
– Before using Mill, customers recovered just over 26% of their food scraps.
– After adopting Mill, this increased to nearly 90%.
– Nearly half reported wasting less food; among them, over 60% changed how they cook, about half adjusted shopping habits, and nearly as many changed storage practices.
– Internal data indicates that within months of use, customers reduced what they put into their Mills by about 20%.
Mill recently updated its life-cycle assessment (LCA) using more than a year’s worth of real-world usage data from tens of thousands of devices—including newer models with improved efficiency. The revised analysis accounts for updated scientific literature and behavioral trends.
Key findings from the updated LCA include:
– A typical household using Mill avoids an estimated 477 kg CO2-equivalent per device per year through better scrap management.
– Changes in purchasing and usage behaviors result in another estimated 258 kg CO2-equivalent avoided per device annually.
– In total, this means an estimated 735 kg CO2-equivalent avoided per device each year compared with standard residential waste management practices (see EPA reports: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/2019-wasted-food-report_508_opt_ec_4.23correction.pdf).
– For households sending all Food Grounds back to Mill for conversion into chicken feed ingredient instead of landfilling waste previously, emissions benefits rise to an estimated 899 kg CO2-equivalent per device each year.
The company also highlighted its partnership with R.City in Phoenix. Through this collaboration, Food Grounds are collected from local customers and composted at R.City’s farm. Customers can opt into receiving produce grown with help from their own recycled scraps.
Operational improvements noted by R.City include five times faster growth rate for their business and up to four times greater customer capacity using existing vehicle fleets due to more efficient collection routes.
In Phoenix alone, keeping food out of landfills via this service has reduced garbage truck weight on roads by more than 10,000 ton-miles—equivalent to a ten-ton truck driving one thousand fewer miles—which lowers operational costs for haulers and eases strain on city infrastructure.
According to Mill’s statement: “By helping more residents get engaged in keeping food out of the trash and sending scraps back to farms, Mill and R.City’s partnership not only boosts participation in community agriculture but also fuels the growth of local business—showcasing a model of circular impact that other cities and composters can rally behind.”
Mill was founded in 2020 by Matt Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum after their work together at Nest developing smart home products.
For further information about national trends regarding wasted food generation or landfill methane emissions associated with discarded foods see EPA resources:
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/food-waste-landfill-methane-10-8-23-final_508-compliant.pdf
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