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Avalon Public Market + Mill

AvalonBay and Mill are partnering to roll out the food-recycling Mill service to all residents at Avalon Public Market.

Every resident will receive the sleek, modern Mill kitchen bin, engineered by leading minds from Apple and Nest. Just add food scraps, and your bin will dry and grind them while you sleep — no effort required. You can keep on filling it for weeks and weeks.

This article covers common questions about the Mill + Avalon Public Market program. If you don’t find an answer to your question, use the search bar in the top right of this page to search for other Mill Support articles, or reach out to our Support team at avalonpm@mill.com and we’ll get back to you in a jiffy!

 

Scheduling in-person support for bin set up

Setting up a new device in your home can be stressful, so we’re here to help! Anything from bringing your bin inside your unit to guiding you step-by-step through setup - we’re here. Reserve time for us to help you, in-person, with your bin set up using this link: https://calendly.com/avalonpublicmarket. We will also be on-site in the main lobby at Avalon Public Market during the following dates and times: 

 

Monday-Friday // Oct 23-Oct 27 // 12pm-8pm

Monday-Wednesday // Oct 30-Nov 1 // 12pm-8pm

 

Swing by, say hi, and get all of your questions answered! If these times don’t work for you, you can always reach out to avalonpm@mill.com and we’ll help you get situated.

 

How to set up your bin

Mill will leave your bin outside of your apartment unit on October 23-24, with printed instructions for how to set up your bin. If you’ve lost those instructions, no sweat! Here is what you need to do:

  1. Create a Mill account by going to mill.com/avalonpublicmarket.
  2. Bring your bin inside your unit and plug it in.
    • Tip - the bucket is heavy, so carry the bucket separately before you bring in the bin. Make sure to use the handle on the back of the bin to help carry it inside.
  3. Put your bucket in your bin. If your lid doesn’t close all the way, turn your bucket the other direction for the perfect fit.
  4. Install your charcoal canister in the back of the bin. Make sure to peel off the white stickers on both the top and bottom of the charcoal canister before installing it!
  5. Download the Mill App and follow the instructions in-app for setting up your bin.

 

What can go in the bin

As a general rule of thumb, if it comes off your cutting board or plate, you can Mill it!!

Here are some examples:

  • Small bones (like chicken or fish)
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Rinds, peels, pits
  • Meat, dairy, eggs
  • Coffee grounds

Things that don’t belong in the bin: 

  • Large bones (like beef, lamb, or pork)
  • Hard shells
  • Large amounts of liquid, grease, or oil
  • Large amounts of sugar, cake, or cookies
  • Large amounts of fibrous or starchy material (e.g. corn husks, potato peels)
  • Houseplants or flowers
  • Drugs or medicine
  • Compostable plastics (these go in your compost chute!)
  • Take-out containers, paper plates
  • Moldy meat
  • Questionable leftovers (if they're more mold-than-food, it shouldn’t go in)

For an extensive list of what can and can’t go into the bin, use Mill’s Food Library (Library section) in the Mill app.

 

What to do with your Food Grounds

Your bin should fill up about once a month. You can empty your Food Grounds into one of the cardboard Food Grounds boxes provided alongside your bin. Make sure to put one of the plastic liners into your box before pouring your grounds in. The box can accommodate a couple empties (usually two). Once the box is full, seal it up and bring it to the Mill Drop Off Zone in the bike room, located next to the gym. Mill will handle the rest! For more information on how to empty your bin, see this article.

 

How to order more cardboard Food Grounds boxes

You can order more cardboard Food Grounds boxes for free within your Mill app. Go to the Grounds tab and click on Need More boxes. See this article for more instructions.

 

Length of program

The program will be 1 year and is expiring on October 23, 2024. Prior to that date, Mill and AvalonBay will discuss a possible extension.

 

Environmental impact

Mill has conducted an extensive lifecycle assessment to determine the impact of using Mill on the environment. When food goes to the landfill, it turns into methane gas, which is 80x worse for the planet than CO2 over a 20-year period. Even after taking into account manufacturing the bin, the electricity the bin uses, and shipping back Food Grounds, the typical household will prevent 500 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents by using Mill. That’s about the amount of CO2 you’d emit by driving from Emeryville to New York and back! To learn more about Mill’s environmental impact, see these articles.

 

Electricity

It uses about 1 kilowatt hour per day on average. This is equivalent to a high efficiency dishwasher. For more information, see this article.

 

Long Dry & Grind cycle

It’s common for your bin to take 5-10 hours to completely dry out your Food Grounds. See this article for more information on what can cause long Dry & Grind cycles. If you think that your bin is taking longer than it should, reach out to avalonpm@mill.com.

 

Smell

Your bin should be completely odorless. If it isn’t, check out this article to help troubleshoot, or reach out to avalonpm@mill.com.

 

Noise

When the Mill kitchen bin is running a Dry & Grind cycle, the fans sound like white noise and are about as loud as a dishwasher (~44 dB). If you put in pits or bones, you might hear a quick, loud snap or clunk. Every now and then it might make a funny creak or groan as it mixes. The bin’s fans run at a super low-energy speed throughout the day to help maintain a negative air pressure so that the bin stays smelling fresh.

 

Kid & Pet safety

See this article to learn about how to set up the Always locked setting for your Lid lock.

 

Move-out instructions

Factory reset your bin by following these steps:

  1. Unplug the bin.
  2. Press and hold the lid button while plugging the bin back in.
  3. Keep holding the button until you see the LED pulse blue.

Wipe down and clean your bin.

Recycle any of your leftover food ground boxes.

 

What if my roommate moves out and our Mill bin was on their account?

No problem! You can create a new account and connect the bin to that account. Follow these steps:

  1. Create a new Mill account by going to mill.com/avalonpublicmarket.
  2. Factory reset your bin.
    1. Unplug your bin.
    2. Press and hold the lid button while plugging the bin back in.
    3. Keep holding the button until you see the LED pulse blue letting you know it’s ready to pair.
  3. Download the Mill app on your phone and follow the instructions in-app for setting up your bin.

 

Can I take my bin with me when I move out?

While you can’t take your bin with you when you move out, if you are in love with your Mill bin just reach out to avalonpm@mill.com and we’ll help you order your very own bin.

 

Bin not working

You can search our support articles for troubleshooting support here. Or, reach out to avalonpm@mill.com and our amazing Support team will help you resolve whatever issue you’re experiencing ASAP!

 

What if you don’t want your bin

That’s fine! If you don’t want to use it, you can leave it unplugged in a closet or anywhere that is convenient for you within your unit.

 

Providing feedback

Mill sends periodic surveys, and would love for you to provide feedback there! You can also email Mill with feedback at avalonpm@mill.com.

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