More than one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten, and all that wasted food is contributing to global warming. Each year, wasted food produces the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 42 coal-fired power plants, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and that doesn't even count the emissions from all of it rotting in landfills.
Composting can reduce that, but it can be both time-consuming and messy. Now the competition in the composting space is heating up, with companies like Lomi, Reencle, Vitamix, and a startup called Mill, hoping to capitalize on better methods amid growing demand.
"No one likes their experience with trash at home, icky drippy bags and fruit flies or rats. It's a problem that we've come to accept, but frankly, it doesn't have to be this way," said Mill CEO Matthew Rogers.
Rogers, who also co-founded Nest smart home systems, says Mill differentiates itself among kitchen composters by keeping food as food… turning it into chicken feed. Not only does it reduce waste in landfills, but the goal is to reduce the amount of chicken feed that needs to be produced, thereby reducing those carbon emissions as well.
"We sell our feed to farmers as an ingredient to chicken feed, which actually helps subsidize the membership," Rogers said.
Yes, there's a price for all this: At least $33 a month for the service, which includes the kitchen bin and a prepaid box every time you send the milled results back to Mill. A feature in the app helps you let them know when your bin is full. Investors in the company say they don't see the fee as a problem.
"There are millions of people that already compost across the United States. And in fact, there are many people that already paid for this service. What Mill does is upgrade the entire experience," said Clay Dumas, co-founder and General Manager of Lowercarbon Capital, a firm that invests in companies that aim to reduce global warming.
Mill's plan is to start in consumers' kitchens and then expand to local municipalities and do this on a much larger scale.
Mill is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lower Carbon, Prelude and Google Ventures. It has $100 million in total funding to date.
Mill reports that it has already sold out its first subscriptions and is now launching its first test pilot with the city of Tacoma, Washington, where residents using a Mill can supposedly reduce their city waste bills by around $25 a month.
CNBC climate producer Lisa Rizzolo contributed to this piece.
