Milwaukee, WI / Madison, WI — Local organizations in Milwaukee and Madison are expanding their work with restaurants to prevent wasted food and strengthen local food recovery systems. The City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office, Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables, and Sustain Dane have partnered with CET to receive specialized training that helps restaurants reduce waste, donate surplus food, and improve recycling and food scrap separation.
The collaboration is helping build long-term local capacity to support restaurants across both communities, with training supported by ReFED’s Catalytic Grant program.
“Our partners in Milwaukee and Madison are deeply connected to the local food system and understand the challenges restaurants face,” said Ashley Muspratt, President and CEO of CET. “This training gives them additional tools to work alongside businesses and identify practical opportunities to prevent wasted food.”
The effort began in 2025 with on-site training sessions where CET staff worked directly with local partners and restaurants to observe kitchen operations and develop waste reduction strategies.
“Working with CET through the Train-the-Trainer process has been a genuinely rewarding experience. It not only strengthened our approach to food waste reduction, but also deepened our relationships with restaurant partners across the City of Milwaukee in a very real and practical way,” noted Andi Sciacca, Founder of the Wisconsin Harvest Network. “The tools and insights we gained have made our work more effective and more connected. I’m especially excited to carry this forward through the Wisconsin Harvest Network, expanding access to these resources and building even stronger collaborations across communities.”
Early results from participating restaurants show how small operational changes can have measurable impacts.
Kuumba in Milwaukee introduced discounts for customers who bring reusable cups and now offers reusable straws, preventing approximately 400 pounds of plastic waste annually. The business also expanded its food scrap collection program to include special events, diverting an additional 1.5 tons of organic material each year.
In Madison, Hubbard Avenue Diner implemented the Too Good To Go platform to sell surplus prepared meals that would otherwise go to waste, preventing roughly 700 pounds of food from being discarded annually.
Another Madison restaurant, Canteen, expanded its recycling program and is now diverting an additional 1.75 tons of recyclable materials each year.
Local partners are continuing to build on this work by expanding outreach to additional restaurants and offering workshops and training sessions for food businesses.
As the partnership continues, Milwaukee and Madison organizations are expanding outreach to additional food businesses and incorporating wasted food prevention into existing sustainability and waste reduction programs. The effort is designed to build lasting local expertise so restaurants can access guidance, tools, and peer support as they implement waste reduction strategies.
