Illustration of vegetables and food scraps beside a coin purse, with a closed bin beyond a doorway.

Mill vs Lomi vs FoodCycler: costs, capacity and output

Oct 17, 2026

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Wet food scraps can make the kitchen bin hard to live with between pickup days. A food recycler may help you store them. But you still need a place for the dried scraps to go. If your waste service or compost pile handles them well, you may not need a machine that costs hundreds of dollars.

If storage is the problem, look at bucket size, cleaning and bills over time. The price of the machine is just one part of the cost.

This guide covers Mill Essential and Mill Plus, Lomi 3, and FoodCycler Eco 3 and Eco 5.[1][2][3][4] The US machine prices were checked on October 11, 2026. Lomi’s preorder status was checked again on October 12. These are dated prices, not live quotes. The power costs below use the makers’ estimates. The home tests come from WIRED’s reviewers, not our own tests.

What each model costs and holds

Both Mill models hold about 1.72 US gallons, or 6.5 liters. Plus starts $150 above Essential, but has the same bucket size. Its extra features include a foot-pedal lid, a child/pet safety lock and a taller body.[1]

Exact product	US hardware offer observed October 11, 2026	Stated bucket size	Details to weigh
Mill Essential	$999	About 1.72 US gallons (6.5 liters)	Lid stays up when lifted; closed height 23 inches
Mill Plus	From $1,149	About 1.72 US gallons (6.5 liters)	Foot-pedal lid and child/pet safety lock; closed height 27 inches
Lomi 3, Just Lomi	$549	About 0.79 US gallon (3 liters)	Hardware-only offer advertised a one-year warranty
Lomi 3 with Membership Plus	$449 upfront	About 0.79 US gallon (3 liters)	Adds a $120 yearly filter bill; product page and FAQ give different first billing dates. Three-year warranty requires active membership
FoodCycler Eco 3, Pure White[4]	$339.99 sale price	About 0.92 US gallon (3.5 liters)	Three-year maker warranty advertised; sale price can change
FoodCycler Eco 5, White[3]	$424.99 sale price	About 1.32 US gallons (5 liters)	Three-year maker warranty advertised; sale price can change

Lomi’s offer showed “Pre-order” on October 11 and at the October 12 recheck. Check whether the package you want is in stock before you pay.[2]

Bucket size tells you how much space you have for scraps. It does not tell you how many pounds the machine can process each day. Wet peels and dense leftovers fill the bucket and dry at different rates.

Lomi’s lower price comes with a filter bill

The payment plans here are the ways you pay: for the machine alone, or for a package with bills due later. Lomi’s Membership Plus costs $449 upfront. It then bills $120 for four filter refills once a year. With the first filter bill, the total comes to $569 before tax. That is $20 more than the $549 machine-only offer. You would still need to buy new filters for that machine.[2]

Check when the first bill is due. The product page says three months after purchase. The FAQ says three months after shipping. With a preorder, those dates could be far apart.[2][14]

The plan includes filters and a longer advertised warranty. Lomi says that if you cancel or miss a payment, its standard one-year limited warranty applies instead.[12] Do not assume a new year of cover starts when you cancel.

Lomi tells members to use its account portal to manage or cancel the plan. Its public pages leave some terms unclear. They do not settle how soon you must cancel to avoid a filter bill. Nor do they settle the refund rules for a shipment already billed. Check those terms before you sign up.[14]

How long filters last depends on use. The Lomi 3 manual sets the reminder at 45 cycles, or runs. It says you may need to change filters sooner or later, based on the food and conditions. The separate membership page says the app gives a reminder every 45 days.[9][12] Days and runs will not always line up. Follow the model’s cycle guide and watch for odors. Four refills may not last every home a full year.

For any model, add up what you will pay now and later. The first bill includes the machine or package, tax and shipping. Later costs may include plan fees and filters. How often you run the machine will affect filter use.

Check which sellers the warranty covers, what it leaves out and whether you must keep a plan active. Also make sure your compost or waste service will take the output—the scraps left after a run.

Returns and warranties have limits

A return offer gives you time to see if a machine fits your home. Read the terms before you rely on it.

Mill advertises a 90-day money-back offer.[1] Its purchase terms limit who can use it. It must be a qualifying first recycler purchase from Mill or an authorized partner. The offer must be listed when you buy. Charcoal filters and pickup plans are not covered.

Start a Mill return within 90 days of delivery. Then complete its return process within 10 days of starting it. You must send back the recycler and its component parts. Damage or a failure to meet the terms can reduce or prevent a refund.

Mill’s consumer warranty generally lasts two years for a new recycler bought for home use. You must buy from Mill or an authorized retailer. The term starts at purchase, or at delivery for California residents. Different terms given at the time of purchase can change this rule.

Keep your receipt. A separate start-date rule applies to authorized-retailer purchases without proof of purchase. Older purchases follow the warranty version in place when they were made.

FoodCycler’s product pages advertise a 90-day guarantee in the main text. Their page titles still mention 30-day returns. The refund policy gives eligible units or advertised bundles a 90-day window from delivery. You must have bought them directly from FoodCycler and get approval from support first.[7]

That policy leaves out accessories bought on their own. It also leaves out municipal, multi-residential and hauler programs. These are programs run through a town, shared housing or waste collector. Other sellers set their own return terms.[7]

FoodCycler’s three-year warranty covers qualifying defects caused by the maker. It does not cover damage from use that goes against the manual. Carbon refills are supplies that get used up, so they are excluded. Only certain sellers qualify under the policy. Check the seller as well as the model.[13]

Lomi allows eligible returns within 90 days for purchases made directly from Lomi. You need proof of purchase. Its policy excludes consumables, or supplies that get used up. It also adds a $100 restocking fee if you return more than one unit.[14]

What power use could cost

Power is another cost over time. These examples use a rate of $0.20 per kilowatt-hour, or kWh. Energy is the power used over time, and a kWh is the unit shown on your power bill. Your rate may differ.

The Eco 5 product page gives power use as about 1.5 kWh per cycle. At the rate used here, that costs $0.30 per run, or $9 for 30 runs. Its manual lists average use as less than 1.5 kWh per cycle.[3][11] The $9 sum uses the rounded figure from the product page. It is an estimate, not a measured bill or a firm cap on power use.

The Eco 3 page lists 0.9 kWh in its technical details. Its opening text gives the broader figure “less than 1.5kWh.” The manual also lists an average of 0.9 kWh per cycle.[4][10] At that level, each run costs $0.18, and 30 runs cost $5.40.

Both manuals list average standby use of 0.5 kWh per month. This is power used while the machine waits between runs. It adds $0.10 a month at the rate used here, if your use matches that standby estimate. The cycle costs above leave it out.[10][11]

Lomi 3’s manual lists about 1 kWh for Express mode, 1.1 kWh for Grow and 0.2 kWh for Cleaning. At $0.20 per kWh, each run costs $0.20, $0.22 and $0.04, in that order.[9]

These figures can help you plan a budget. They cannot show which machine makes the best use of power. The sources do not show tests with the same food load. None gives power use per pound of the same scraps across all five machines.

Both FoodCycler pages say a typical run takes four to nine hours. How much food you add, how tightly it is packed and how wet it is all affect the time.[3][4] The 30 runs used here are just a budget example. Your food mix, number of runs and power rate will change the bill.

What WIRED’s home tests found

Home use can reveal things that size and price cannot. WIRED’s reports give useful examples. Each finding applies to the model and unit tested.

In WIRED’s August 2026 guide, Kat Merck liked Lomi 3’s lift-out countertop bucket and push-button lid. She also liked that it worked without the app. After several months, though, the test unit’s lid warped. This let odors and fruit flies through. The replacement began to warp after a couple of months too.[8]

Lomi blamed the first fault on bad plastic in the first batch. The report gives you a reason to check what help is offered if a unit needs to be replaced. It does not show how common the fault is or whether units now being shipped have it.[8]

Merck found the Eco 3’s separate scrap pail handy. Its output was finely ground. But after six months of regular use, her unit began to make loud groans and creaks. She also needed a few tries to fit the bucket into place.[8]

In the same guide, Nena Farrell found Eco 5 quiet and useful for kitchen scraps. She also found it bulky. She preferred the smaller model for homes that did not need the extra room in the bucket. Her Eco 5 test spanned the holiday party season. That part of the guide gives no exact test length.[8]

The Mill test used older hardware

The date matters for Mill. Merck’s linked review describes a six-week test published in August 2024. The 2026 guide calls that tested 27-inch, pedal-lid model Plus.[8][15]

That name does not prove WIRED tested today’s Essential or every current version of Plus. Do not apply the older unit’s noise, power use or record of faults to Essential. This guide uses the maker’s stated details for the current Mill models. We still lack matching home-test evidence for the current versions.

Make room for cleaning

The bucket needs to fit both your scraps and your cleaning routine. Each model has its own rules.

The Lomi 3 manual allows you to wash its bucket by hand or in a dishwasher. It also has a separate cleaning cycle. The Eco 3 manual advises against using a dishwasher. It also advises against cleaning inside the bucket by hand due to sharp blades. The Eco 5 manual warns against cleaning inside its bucket by hand too.[9][10][11]

Follow your exact model’s manual. Unplug the machine before cleaning, and let hot parts cool. A method that is safe for one bucket can damage another.

Dried scraps still need somewhere to go

The output is not always ready-to-use compost. Mill says its grounds are not compost yet. It lists separate routes for garden use, curbside pickup, chicken feed and farm pickup.[1] Each has rules for what it accepts and how to handle the grounds.

FoodCycler calls Foodilizer a dry by-product, meaning the material left after a run. It warns that moisture can bring odors and mold back.[5] You still need a plan to store and use or discard the dried scraps.

Lomi 3’s current manual lists two food modes, Express and Grow, plus Cleaning.[9] An older Lomi article from July 2022 also describes a Lomi Approved mode for packaging.[6] Do not assume that advice applies to Lomi 3. The current FAQ says Lomi removed that mode. It no longer recommends putting bio-based plastics in Lomi 3.[14] These are plastics made from sources such as plants.

Take care with garden use too. The FoodCycler manuals say to mix the output into soil. Do not leave it on top of soil or a lawn. WIRED’s Eco 3 summary differs: it suggests sprinkling the output on a lawn.[8][10][11] Follow the exact maker’s handling rules and the guidance for your crop. This guide does not establish a safe amount to use for edible plants.

For a waste pickup service, local rules come first. A maker may suggest a green bin, but your collector may not accept the output.

Choose for the problem in your kitchen

The smaller FoodCycler is worth a look if counter space is tight. Eco 5 holds more scraps but takes up more space. Lomi 3 gives you a choice of food modes and a dishwasher-safe bucket. Read the lid reports and plan terms closely before you pay.

Mill’s floor-standing models have the largest stated bucket in this group. Essential and Plus hold the same amount. Pay more for Plus only if its other features help you.

Before you order, check that the lid can open in the spot you have in mind. Make sure you can manage the cleaning, filter bills and route for the output. If your waste service or compost pile already handles the scraps well, keeping that setup may be the better use of your money.