grave… where, ironically, he’d become the compost! Maybe I can get my BF Julia to invite me over and I will bring it to her? And would my hubs be more agreeable than dad? Not sure!
And they still are. When I moved out for good, I landed in the City of Chicago, where backyard composting is not an option in multi-unit high rises. For 27 years, I have been living in an apartment or condo, resigned to tossing food scraps in the trash. But now, there are solutions for urban and suburban dwellers alike, and I want to highlight two options: Mill and WasteNot Compost.
MILL: THE HIGH-TECH KITCHEN SOLUTION If you have space inside your home and want an easy, odor-free way to compost, check out
www.Mill.com. It is described as “the effortless, odorless food recycler and the smartest device in your kitchen.” Here’s how it works:
• You toss food scraps into the bin, which quietly dries and grinds them overnight into a fine, dry material.
• The unit can process a pound of wet food scraps in just 2.5 hours—faster than most dishwasher cycles.
• It holds up to 40 pounds of scraps before it needs to be emptied, which means you don’t have to think about it for weeks.
• Thanks to an advanced odor control system, it won’t stink up your kitchen.
• It operates at just 41 decibels – quieter than a refrigerator hum.
• Mill shrinks food waste by 80% and it even takes meat scraps!
I first heard about Mill from my close personal friend (wink) Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is an investor in the company. It seems like a super cool system, but more practical for single- family homes or people with a use for the dry, nutrient-rich dirt material it produces. While I could technically make space in my condo for a Mill, I have no idea what I would do with the output.
My dad could use it in his garden, but let’s be real. He is not about to battle city traffic just to pick up a bucket of dirt. Sure, I could haul it to him, but can you imagine anyone lugging 40 pounds of compost onto the Metra like some kind of eco-friendly Santa Claus? My dad has finally accepted (endured?) years of me being a vegetarian. Forcing him to take my compost too might actually send him to an early
10 | COMMON INTEREST®
WASTENOT COMPOST: A HASSLE-FREE PICKUP SERVICE
For multi-unit buildings like mine, WasteNot Compost is a better option. This service provides composting solutions for residential buildings, offering scheduled pick-ups that take food scraps to an industrial composting facility. Here’s how it works:
• WasteNot will assess your building’s needs and recommend the appropriate number of bins and pickup frequency.
• The compost bins can be stored in a loading dock, alongside trash and recycling dumpsters.
• Residents can purchase a countertop caddy to conveniently collect scraps before taking them to the main bin.
If enough residents in your community are interested, talk to your building manager or condo board about starting service – or ask them to include it in next year’s budget.
Why Composting in HOAs Matters Many homeowners’ associations (HOAs) and community associations focus on sustainability efforts like recycling programs and energy-efficient upgrades, but food waste is often overlooked. Composting can divert a significant portion of household waste from landfills, reducing methane emissions and benefiting the environment. By providing an easy, building-wide composting solution, an association can help residents be more eco-friendly without requiring a backyard or a personal compost bin. Also, if people are composting, they will not be throwing stuff down the disposal that clogs the building’s pipes.
I’m not being paid by either of these vendors (and, full disclosure, I haven’t personally used them yet), but my 20-something-year-old self would be seriously impressed if I could get other people on the green wagon. My dad may have shut down my composting efforts decades ago, but maybe, just maybe, I can help bring composting back – this time, for an entire building.
So, if you’re part of an HOA, condominium or other community association, why not give it a shot? It could be the easiest step toward a greener future – and no one has to sneak banana peels under the bushes.
• Summer 2025 • A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter
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