Phoenix Households Diverted 441 Tons Of Food Waste From Landfills — Here’s How

PHOENIX, AZ — Phoenix households turned food scraps into farm soil last year, keeping hundreds of tons of waste out of the landfill.

Nearly 3,000 Phoenix households spent the past year turning food scraps into something useful instead of sending them to the landfill, diverting 441 tons of waste and avoiding nearly 1,000 tons of carbon emissions.

The city partnered with Mill and Recycled City, also known as R.City, on a yearlong pilot program through a Zero Waste Business Agreement signed in 2025. The effort is part of Phoenix’s broader push to divert half of its waste away from landfills by 2030.

Mill provided food recyclers for break rooms at Phoenix City Hall and the Calvin Goode Municipal Building. The devices dehydrate and grind food waste into compostable grounds, which R.City collected monthly and used in local farm soil to grow fresh, seasonal produce.

Public Works also opened the program to residents interested in signing up for a food recycler at home.

The response was strong. Nearly 3,000 people signed up, and more than 2,900 households were actively enrolled by the end of 2025.

On average, participating households diverted 0.92 pounds of food scraps per day, beating Mill’s initial goal of 0.75 pounds per household.

Why it matters

Food waste makes up an estimated 14% of what ends up in Phoenix’s landfill, where it breaks down and produces methane, a greenhouse gas. Statewide, an estimated $9.5 billion worth of food is wasted and landfilled in Arizona each year.

Because dehydrated food grounds weigh significantly less than raw food scraps, the program also helped cut down on emissions tied to hauling waste. The city estimates it avoided 957 tons of carbon dioxide emissions as a result.

At City Hall and the nearby municipal building alone, the city diverted more than 5,860 pounds of food scraps in 2025, with each device processing an average of 0.61 pounds of food waste per day.

Collection gets easier

The pilot also changed the math on collection logistics. Because the food grounds were pre-processed and much lighter, R.City was able to serve up to four times more customers using its existing vehicle fleet without adding new trucks or routes.

The program had ripple effects beyond landfill numbers, too. Nearly 2,000 farm boxes filled with locally grown produce were delivered to Phoenix residents over the course of the year. In post-program surveys, 98% of respondents said all or most of their food scraps ended up in the Mill device rather than the trash.

Many also reported a smaller but practical benefit: fewer kitchen odors and fewer trips out to the curb with the garbage.