Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City is making a big step toward becoming more environmentally friendly by investing in recycling food waste. This comes just as the city is ready to host the globe during the 2026 FIFA globe Cup. Mayor Quinton Lucas and the food-recycling startup Mill have teamed up to create a new program that will significantly expand the number of places in the city where people may recycle food scraps.
Soon, 50 high-tech Mill food recyclers will be put in municipal buildings. The rollout includes City Hall, 33 fire stations, and ten community centers. These machines are made to cut down on waste by more than 80 percent. They do this by crushing and dehydrating food wastes overnight. The end product is a dry, odorless substance that Missouri Organic Recycling will pick up every month and compost.
The city’s composting program has already kept about 130,000 pounds of organic waste out of landfills. The second step, which is all about making things more accessible and teaching people, is meant to raise that number by a lot.
“Kansas City’s partnership with Mill is an investment in our city’s future,” said Mayor Lucas. “We’re building a Kansas City that’s cleaner, healthier, and ready to shine when we welcome the world in 2026. Food scrap recycling goes beyond the World Cup; it helps make our city and our world better, creating a more sustainable future.”
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A key component of the initiative is accessibility. Kansas City’s ten community centers will all have drop-off sites, which will make it easier for more people to join the city’s burgeoning composting program. These new sites should work well with the ones that are already in place and help keep more organic material out of landfills.
“Kansas City’s investment demonstrates an innovative approach to tackling wasted food and a compelling vision for the city’s future,” said Lou Pieh, Head of Policy at Mill. “Mill is an easy-to-deploy solution that turns food scraps into a resource that benefits the whole community and delivers measurable action against sustainability goals.”
The project is not only about building things; it is also about education. As part of sustainability workshops and youth programs, community center kitchens will use the food recyclers. This will provide local students hands-on experience with eco-friendly techniques.
Mill’s food recycling system has been tried out in cities like Phoenix and has been shown to work to cut down on waste and make things that can be composted or reused. Kansas City is using the technology to show that it is both ambitious and willing to take action. The city wants to be known not only as a place to host worldwide events but also as a leader in protecting the environment.
