Turning Scraps into Solutions: City of Phoenix Teams Up with Mill and R.City to Tackle Food Waste

New collaboration in support of the City's goals to divert 50% of wasted food from landfills by 2030 launches this month

PHOENIX, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mill, the company behind the award-winning food recycling system, today announced a new collaboration with the City of Phoenix to increase food recycling participation rates in Phoenix and make a dent in the $9.5 billion of wasted food that end up in Arizona landfills each year. The new initiative will raise awareness of the economic and environmental costs of wasted food and encourage Phoenix residents to engage in food recycling while supporting local jobs and agriculture.

Mill's food recycling system makes it easy to prevent food waste at home by pairing the award-winning food recycler—a new device that quietly and odorlessly dries and dehydrates food scraps into a nutrient-rich material that resembles coffee grounds—with monthly Food Grounds pick-ups, composting, and seasonal Farm Boxes from local farm R.City. Phoenix residents can sign up for a free trial of the Mill + R.City food recycling service at mill.com/rcity.*

The City of Phoenix is also leading the way in combating food waste with the nation's largest deployment of Mill food recyclers across local government buildings. More than 25 Mill food recyclers have been installed across City Hall and the Calvin C. Goode buildings. The grounds processed by the food recyclers will be picked up by R.City to enrich local soil and grow fresh, seasonal produce for the Phoenix community.

Why this matters: Keeping food out of the landfill is good for the planet and consumers' wallets. According to a recent survey of 1,300 Mill households, nearly 50% reported they were wasting less food after getting a Mill food recycler at home. Since the average American household throws out nearly $3,000 in food each year, even a modest reduction in wasted food could represent hundreds of dollars in annual savings.

Mill's first-of-its-kind measurement tools around food waste—including an in-device measurement system, in-app feedback reporting, and customizable quarterly reports—offer new opportunities for individuals, businesses, and municipalities to track and reduce wasted food over time.  These important measurement tools enable behavior change and can help track progress toward the City's goal of diverting 50% of wasted food from landfills by 2030.  

Impact by the numbers:

• The average Mill+R.City household in Phoenix diverts over twenty times as much food from going to waste as the average American household (per EPA data).**
  
  
• By taking food waste (which is 80% water, so very wet and heavy) out of the trash, Mill and R.City customers have lightened the load for Phoenix garbage and transfer trucks by almost 10,000 ton-miles. This contributes to lower greenhouse gas emissions and road wear.

The big picture: Arizona was recently named the worst offender for food waste in the United States. When food gets buried in landfills, it decomposes and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Wasted food is not only bad for the environment, it's a huge waste of money and resources—to the tune of $9.5 billion in Arizona. The new initiative cuts landfill waste, lowers emissions, and strengthens the local food system. 

"Tackling wasted food is good for homes, communities, and city-wide infrastructure," said Harry Tannenbaum, Cofounder and President of Mill. "We've invested significantly in Phoenix over the past year, and it's inspiring to see the City take on a leadership role in the fight against wasted food. Phoenix is showing the country how food recycling can be simple and impactful."

"I started R.City eleven years ago in my backyard and today, we have thousands of customers across the metro region. Mill and R.City make it easy for anyone to keep food out of the landfill and put it to good use," said J.D. Hill, Founder of R.City. "This not only helps reduce waste but also supports jobs and strengthens urban agriculture in our community. It's a win-win for the environment and for the people of Phoenix."

"Having Mill food recyclers in nearly every breakroom of the City Hall Campus is a great way to engage staff in efforts to achieve our food waste diversion goals," said Amanda Jordan, Phoenix's Circular Economy Project Manager. "We hope to lead by example as we encourage our residents to find better ways to repurpose food waste and scraps."

Learn more about the Mill x R.City service here: mill.com/rcity

About Mill 
About Mill Industries Inc. ("Mill")

Mill makes it easy to prevent food waste at home with an innovative new kitchen experience and pathways that keep food out of landfills. Food isn't trash. Together, we can do better.

Mill was founded in 2020 by Matt Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum, who worked together at Nest, building the iconic Nest Learning Thermostat and other smart home products. The lessons they learned about encouraging new habits at home that are good for people and the planet were applied in creating Mill to change our perception of waste, starting in the kitchen.

Mill is a trademark of Mill Industries Inc.

*After a thirty day free trial, service is $35/month.
** Per EPA data, only 3.70% of US household was composted in 2019

SOURCE Mill Industries Inc.