Purchasing, Consumption and Waste

There is a lot of waste that is needlessly created in the world. My goal was to reduce this waste, specifically at Lewis University, by introducing reusable mugs for students to use on hot beverages rather than the disposable ones available. I have been able to work with Sodexo and Student Development on our campus to purchase and disperse these mugs to incoming freshman. Students are motivated to use these mugs by receiving a $0.25 discount at food service locations, being able to carry around a mug that supports school spirit, and knowing they are reducing the waste produced by Lewis University.

1 University Pkwy
Romeoville, IL 60446
United States

This project is designed to address the amount of waste created in this world. The goal is to introduce reusable mugs to the entire campus overtime, thereby making disposable cups unnecessary. Each year these reusable mugs will go out to freshman and I will be able to keep track of the amount of disposable cups vs. the amount of reusable cups being used through the transaction data of Sodexo. Initiating this project has been successful. Both Sodexo and Student Development have worked with me to purchase and obtain the mugs to be handed out to the incoming freshman. Along with this, multiple student volunteers helped me hand out the mugs during freshman orientation and the following resource fair. I have gotten the point of this project across in a few different ways. I have put slips of paper in the mugs informing students of the purpose of the project, I have spoken with students directly about the project at the Resource Fair, and I have hung flyers around food service areas reminding people about the reusable mugs. I would like to permanently instate this project here at Lewis University and inspire other Universities to start similar projects of their own so that disposable cups can be a thing of the past on Universities throughout the country.

Waste, reduce, reuse