Food waste startup Mill said on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Amazon to place its waste-processing bins in produce departments at Whole Foods stores nationwide beginning in 2027.
Amazon Investment and Rollout Timeline
As part of the deal, Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund is investing in Mill, though neither company disclosed the size of the investment. According to an Axios report, Mill has raised a total of $250 million to date.
The rollout will place Mill’s bins inside Whole Foods locations across the U.S., focusing initially on produce departments.
Scale of Grocery Store Food Waste
Food waste remains a persistent issue for U.S. grocery retailers. An estimated 10% of all food, or about 43 billion pounds, is discarded each year at grocery stores, according to a 2014 study cited by Mill.
For grocery chains that operate on thin profit margins, wasted food represents lost revenue and contributes to higher carbon emissions.
How Mill’s System Works
Mill’s bins use sensors to collect data on discarded food, with the goal of helping retailers better understand and reduce waste. After food scraps are collected, the bins dehydrate and grind the waste.
The processed material is then converted into chicken feed. Mill said the feed will be shipped to egg suppliers that produce Whole Foods’ private label eggs, linking waste reduction to the retailer’s existing supply chain.
Data-Driven Waste Reduction
Mill said the data gathered from the bins could help Whole Foods identify patterns in produce waste and adjust ordering or handling practices to reduce spoilage.
The partnership positions the technology as both a waste management tool and a source of operational insight for grocery stores.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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