Mill • Food Recycler
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Mill: The Smartest Thing in My Kitchen
This still might be the smartest thing in my kitchen—and no, it’s not a coffee machine.
The Mill food recycler has quietly become one of my favorite pieces of tech in our home. I’ve been using it for over a year now, and I figured it was time to share how it’s held up and why it’s still such a joy to use. And if you’re curious, they now make it in black and stainless steel, both of which look fantastic.
What It Is
Mill is a smart food processor that takes nearly all your kitchen scraps and turns them into a fine, dirt-like material. Think of it as a high-tech food recycler—not quite a composter, and way more refined. You can toss in almost anything you’ve eaten: cooked or raw meat, fish, small bones, eggs, dairy, fruits, vegetables, even corn cobs.
There are a few exceptions (which the app clearly lists), but for the most part, it handles whatever you throw its way.
Why It Exists
Mill’s mission is simple: never trash food, and never smell your trash.
By drying and grinding food waste overnight, it keeps food scraps out of landfills—reducing methane emissions and keeping your kitchen smelling fresh. Over the past year, our Mill (affectionately named Millie) has kept over 100 pounds of food waste from ending up in the trash.
The Form
No surprise here: Mill is beautifully designed.
It’s sleek, minimal, and fits right into any modern kitchen. The original white model has a warm faux-wood top, a clean pedal design, and subtle curves that make it feel like something Apple or Nest would create. It’s functional, but also something you don’t mind looking at—something you might even decorate with.
The new black and stainless steel versions add even more flexibility. If you have darker cabinets or stainless appliances, those finishes blend right in. It’s the rare kitchen appliance that feels just as much like decor as it does a utility.
The Function
Under the hood, this thing is quietly brilliant.
Mill holds about 6.5 liters (roughly 40 pounds) of food scraps. Once you toss things in, it automatically runs overnight—adapting to what you’ve added. If it’s something more liquid, it runs longer to dry it out. If it’s something lighter, it finishes quickly.
And it’s quiet—just 41 decibels, about the hum of a distant dryer. Most nights, you don’t even notice it’s running.
The key to the odor control is its filter, made from upcycled coconut shells. I haven’t replaced mine in over a year, and there’s still zero smell—even when the lid’s open. The result is a soft, earthy material that smells faintly sweet, not sour or rotten.
The Impact
The Mill app tracks your environmental impact—showing how many pounds of waste you’ve diverted from landfills. It even offers a pickup program where Mill sends you compostable bags to fill with your food grounds. You can ship them back to be reused for animal feed or farming.
In our case, we’ve started using the recycled grounds in our garden soil. I’m no gardening expert, but this year our plants definitely thrived more than last. Whether that’s coincidence or Mill’s doing, it’s been a fun and rewarding way to close the loop.
Who It’s For
Mill is perfect for:
Families that cook a lot or have picky kids who don’t finish meals.
Gardeners who want nutrient-rich grounds for their soil.
Homeowners who care about sustainability and can’t stand smelly trash.
People who love beautifully designed home tech.
It might not make sense for tiny apartments or people who generate very little food waste—it’s about the size of a standard trash can. And with a price tag of $999, it’s an investment. But given the engineering, impact, and design, it’s one that feels justified for the right household.
Living With It
After more than a year, it’s been nearly effortless. We toss in scraps, it does its thing overnight, and that’s it. It’s never jammed, never smelled, and never failed. It sits in the corner of our kitchen looking good, doing good, and sometimes even acting as a stand for a vase or seasonal decor.
It’s not often that a kitchen appliance makes you think about stewardship—how you care for what you have and give back in small ways. But this one does. It’s been a tool for teaching our kids about waste, nature, and the cycle of giving back to the earth.
Would I personally pay $999 for it? Maybe not, depending on your household’s needs. But as a piece of intentional technology—one that looks great, works perfectly, and genuinely makes life simpler—Mill nails it.
If you want to check it out, the link is under the embed. And if you’re into tech that marries form and function, that improves your life and looks good while doing it—stick around.
