Waste Reduction

Earn a $0.15 discount on your prepared hot or iced beverage when you bring your own mug or refill your cup when you bring your own or refill your cup. Don’t have a reusable? Purchase a Wisconsin Union Green Mug, and your first cup is on us! 

The Wisconsin Union is a proud licensed partner of Peet’s Coffee, a company committed to sustainability and ethical sourcing. 

Located in Memorial Union and Union South, the OSCAR Sort is an AI-powered recycling assistant aimed at enhancing recycling accuracy, minimizing the waste that ends up in landfills, oceans, and developing countries, and educating individuals about recycling practices. 

Learn more about the remarkable environmental benefits of OSCAR Sort at Oscar's Impact — Intuitive AI.

One of the top priorities of OSCAR Sort is privacy and security. OSCAR Sort is User Privacy Protected, meaning that it only identifies waste. Learn more about OSCAR Sort Privacy at Privacy — Intuitive AI.

PATH Water Reuseable Water Bottle 

We partner with PATH Water, a refillable, recyclable, and BPA-free water bottle designed to end single-use plastic pollution.

Reuseable Beer Pitchers 

We use reuseable beer pitchers to decrease single-use waste generation. 

Memorial Union and Union South are participating in a food waste collection program that involves composting food scraps from our back-of-house operations. 

From 2022 to 2025, Memorial Union and Union South have diverted over 6,700 carts of food scraps from landfills.

Our bake shop strives to reduce food waste by repurposing ingredients and using leftover ingredients. For example, our pastry chefs use strawberries that are too small for chocolate-covered strawberries to make jam for our yogurt parfaits.

We have numerous water bottle refill stations installed in all Wisconsin Union buildings and strive to continue providing extensive access to help minimize plastic waste.