A not-so-doomy Earth Day reflection on how one tiny bin and one local hero are helping me sleep better at night.

Let’s be honest: trying to “do better for the planet” can feel like a never-ending to-do list. Compost this, reuse that, meal plan like a minimalist chef, and oh yeah—don’t buy plastic, ever. It’s enough to make you give up and just eat cereal straight from the box.

Here’s what I’ve learned: I can’t do everything. You probably can’t either. But we can each do one thing—and do it really well.

For me, that one thing is food waste.

A couple years ago, I realized how much food we threw away—half-eaten kid plates, leftovers we never got to, hosting overflow from dinners with friends and family. It started to feel...gross. And wasteful. So I picked one lane: keeping food out of the landfill.

Meet Chicken Little 🐔

That's the name of my Mill, a sleek, smart kitchen bin that dries and grinds your food scraps overnight—no smells, no mess, just a quiet whirring reminder that sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated. Since January 2024, Chicken Little has helped me keep over 800 pounds of food out of landfills.

And here’s the cool part: you can put almost anything in it. Meat? Yup. Dairy? Yes. Moldy takeout sushi? Also yes. It turns everything into tidy “food grounds”—which aren’t technically compost yet, but can be spread on your garden, fed to chickens (as we do), or mailed back to Mill, where they partner with farms to turn it into real soil goodness.

Not sure if you’re ready to buy one? You can rent a Mill for a few months and try it out. No long-term commitment, just fewer trips to the trash can and a guilt-free conscience.

Interested in purchasing or renting a Mill for your home or business?  Click the link below to order.  When you order through this link you continue supporting Haskill Creek!

And then there’s Dirt Rich Composting—Flathead’s own food waste superheroes.

If you’re here in the Flathead Valley, Dirt Rich Composting makes composting just as easy—with a little hometown flair. Based in Columbia Falls, they offer curbside pickup for homes and businesses. Just toss your scraps in the bin, and they’ll come collect it and turn it into nutrient-rich compost for local use.

And when I say you can toss everything in their bins, I mean it:

• All food scraps—meat, dairy, produce, leftovers, you name it.

• Non-bleached paper (like napkins or paper towels)

• BPI Certified compostable containers

If it came from a kitchen or a plate, it’s probably welcome. That kind of flexibility makes it so much more doable for busy households who just want to do the right thing without needing a science degree or a backyard tumbler.

They’ve already diverted nearly 1 million pounds of food waste from landfills and they’re just getting started.

Why does food waste matter?

Because it’s a sneaky climate culprit(🔗):

• The U.S. wastes 30–40% of its food supply every year.

• That’s over 130 billion pounds of food.

• When food ends up in a landfill, it breaks down without oxygen, producing methane, a greenhouse gas more than 25x more potent than carbon dioxide.

So no, the forgotten casserole at the back of the fridge isn’t just sad—it’s part of a much bigger issue.

A Few Chill Tips (No Overwhelm Required):

• Start with scraps: Whether you go high-tech with a Mill or local with Dirt Rich, just do something with your food waste.

• Meal-ish plan: Think “rough outline” not “militant spreadsheet.”

• Rebrand leftovers: Call it “DIY tapas night” and suddenly you’re fancy.

• Use your freezer like a time capsule: Perfect for bread ends, banana bits, or veggie scraps for stock.

So no, I’m not doing everything. But I’m doing this one thing—and it’s working.

This Earth Day, if you’re wondering where to start, I’d say: start with your scraps. Composting—whether with Chicken Little or Dirt Rich—feels like a win that actually sticks.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s all it takes to make a difference.