Here’s a clever new bit of kitchen tech. Victoria, BC firm Sepura recently introduced its eponymous home appliance, which sits under a sink in place of a garbage disposal. There’s an included Bluetooth button, which can be stuck anywhere near the sink. The system itself sits underneath the sink and is designed to hook directly into the drainage.

When enough foodstuffs have accrued beneath the drain, tap the button, and it will initiate a process that effectively shoves the waste products into the appliance. In an introductory video, co-founder and CEO Victor Nicolov is quick to note that the system doesn’t actually grind the food waste, unlike a traditional garbage disposal. “We found it was better to keep things [intact]. We found it was better for our planet to avoid crushing things into our drains.”

The system also has a safeguard to stop water from entering the receptacle, allowing it to drain out of the pipe first. It will also stop if it detects something like a utensil, which you don’t want in the composting bucket.

Today, the firm announced the close of a $3.7 million seed round designed to accelerate production and delivery of its product, which will run $700 when it starts shipping in July. The round was led, appropriately, by sink-maker Blanco.

“Sepura represents a significant step forward in sustainable living. With its advanced technology and user-friendly design, Sepura offers a simple and effective way to minimize waste and promote a cleaner, healthier environment,” Nicolov says in a release. “We are excited to bring consumers the sustainable solution they are seeking and work to improve how food waste impacts the environment moving forward.”

The company claims that its system can “effectively separate 99.9% of solid waste that goes down the drain.”

Sepura Home raises $3.7 million to make your kitchen sink a composter by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch