[vcnva-agenda-items]

Plastic derives from fossil fuels and almost 40% of all plastic produced is single-use,¹ creating pollution and further extraction of fossil fuels.² Unmanaged plastics end up in Virginia’s environment. Most plastic entering the Chesapeake Bay, 94%, remains there.^3,4 The consequences of single-use plastics result in devastating impacts on wildlife through entanglement and ingestion.⁵ Plastic pollution harms economic activity, lowers property values, reduces tourism, and decreases spending at local businesses.^6,7,8

Plastics fragment into microplastics, which spread through the air, water supply, and food chain. People routinely ingest and inhale microplastics, and microplastics have been found in all human organs tested, including the heart, lungs, brain, and reproductive organs like testes and ovaries.^{9,10,11,12,13} Concerningly, microplastics are present in the placenta and newborn babies as evidenced by their first stool after birth. Babies are further exposed to plastics in breastmilk or baby bottles.^14,15,16 Emerging research raises concerns about microplastics’ impacts on fertility, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, and dementia.

Plastics contain chemicals, including bisphenols (like BPA), plasticizers (phthalates like DEHP), flame retardants (like PBDE), and forever chemicals (like PFAS/PFOS).¹⁷ Many are endocrine-disrupting chemicals,^18,19 and decades of studies have implicated them in obesity, type 2 diabetes, preterm birth, decreased sperm count, early puberty in females, and neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD, autism, and IQ loss.²⁰ The economic burden of these health impacts is staggering. Three plastics-related chemicals (BPA, PBDE, and DEHP) cost the United States $920 billion in healthcare and lost economic productivity due to disability, disease, or premature death.²¹

Fossil fuel extraction and plastic production are concentrated in low-wealth or BIPOC areas, disproportionately harming these communities’ health and economy.²²

Multiple Virginia government agencies and task forces have acknowledged difficulties with recycling plastics and disposing of hard-to-manage waste,^23,24,25 but the issue remains: individual Virginians can do very little to reduce plastic pollution; our waste systems are linear, meaning that products are created to be thrown away and do not reenter the marketplace. The issues creating and managing plastic pollution are not created by consumers.^26,27

PRE-PODUCTION PELLETS
Waste pollution happens long before consumers touch their products. Plastic manufacturers use pre-production plastic pellets, which are spilled at every stage of the supply chain, through permitted discharges and transportation incidents, resulting in over 10 trillion pellets²⁸ entering the ocean annually. Virginia is home to at least seven plastic pellet production facilities and the Virginia Pollution Discharge Elimination System (VPDES)²⁹ is insufficient to protect Virginia’s waters from the discharge of pre-production plastic pellets. Best management practices can be required to eliminate this harmful pollution.

SINGLE-USE PLASTICS
Low-quality, single-use plastics such as foam, bags, and packaging create a staggering amount of mismanaged waste due to overabundance and non-recyclability. Replacing these types of plastics through bans and reduction mandates is proven to be the best way to reduce pollution.³⁰

POST-CONSUMER WASTE
Since 2018, thirteen localities³¹ in Virginia have ended curbside recycling programs, with more expected to end in the future. What isn’t recycled is landfilled, littered, or incinerated.

The Virginia Litter Tax (paid by producers and distributors of frequently littered products) supports a cleanup program that relies predominantly on volunteers, with almost 40,000 Virginians³² volunteering annually. Fifty years of community cleanups have demonstrated this is not enough. A task force is being formed as a result of House Joint Resolution 448 to identify opportunities to improve the litter tax to support recycling and reduce landfill waste. Source reduction policies, such as extended producer responsibility and the recently implemented ban on expanded polystyrene food and beverage containers, are necessary.

MOVING FROM A LINEAR TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY

Virginia can reduce plastic pollution at every stage of the supply chain through eliminating harmful mismanaged waste, incentivizing sustainable disposal, increasing producer responsibility, and shifting to reusable products. Until producers are required to plan for their products’ lifecycles, we will continue to see more single-use items, full landfills, and more trash in the environment. A producer responsibility program incentivizes a more efficient, productive waste system; decreases waste; increases recycled content; creates reusable or biodegradable products; and reduces the burden on local governments. According to the 50 States of Recycling report, this approach in Virginia could place $210 million of recycled material back in the market to support a circular economy and reduce the need for virgin material and avoid emissions of 2.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. Additionally, this approach increases employment opportunities by increasing recycling-related jobs from 3,600 to 11,000.³³

BEVERAGE DEPOSIT PROGRAMS

Producer responsibility effectiveness is demonstrated by recycling refund programs, a policy supported by 65% of Virginia voters.³⁴ Oregon’s program had an 88.5% bottle recycling rate in 2022. States with these programs have less beverage container litter found during cleanups. These programs are most impactful when they have strong collection mandates, benchmarks, and reporting requirements.

¹ Nearly 40 percent of plastic demand comes from the production of plastic packaging. (n.d.). European Environment Agency. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-charts/nearly-40-percent-of-plastic

² Advancing sustainable materials management: 2016 and 2017 tables and figures. (2019, November). United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-11/documents/2016_and_2017_facts_and_figures_data_tables_0.pdf

³ Pipkin, W. (2021, October 14). Study: 94% of plastics stay in the Bay. Chesapeake Bay Magazine. https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/study-94-of-plastics-stay-in-the-bay 

⁴ López, A. G., Najjar, R. G., Friedrichs, M. A. M., Hickner, M. A., & Wardrop, D. H. (2021). Estuaries as filters for riverine microplastics: Simulations in a large, coastal-plain estuary. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, Article 715924. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.715924

⁵ Aung, T., Batish, I., & Ovissipour, R. (2022). Prevalence of Microplastics in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica in the Chesapeake Bay: The Impact of Different Digestion Methods on Microplastic Properties. Toxics, 10(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10010029

⁶ Wachter, H. (2020). The high cost of cleaning up litter. Life Time. https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/the-high-cost-of-litter

⁷ Economic impacts of marine debris on tourism-dependent communities. (n.d.). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/research/economic-impacts-marine-debris-tourism-dependent-communities

⁸ The hidden cost of plastic. (2021, September 13). World Wide Fund. https://www.wwfdrc.org/en/?36252/The-hidden-cost-of-plastic

⁹ Yang, Y., Xie, E., Du, Z., Peng, Z., Han, Z., Li, L., Zhao, R., Qin, Y., Xue, M., Li, F., Hua, K., & Yang, X. (2023). Detection of various microplastics in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(30), 10911–10918. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c07179

¹⁰ Jenner, L. C., Rotchell, J. M., Bennett, R. T., Cowen, M., Tentzeris, V., & Sadofsky, L. R. (2022). Detection of microplastics in human lung tissue using μFTIR spectroscopy. Science of the Total Environment, 831, 154907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154907

¹¹ Nihart, A. J., Garcia, M. A., El Hayek, E. E., Liu, R., Olewine, M., Kingston, J. D., Castillo, E. F., Gullapalli, R. R., Howard, T., Bleske, B., Scott, J., Gonzalez-Estrella, J., Gross, J. M., Spilde, M., Adolphi, N. L., Gallego, D. F., Jarrell, H. S., Dvorscak, G., Zuluaga-Ruiz, M. E., … Campen, M. J. (2025). Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nature Medicine, 31, 1114–1119. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03453-1

¹² Hu, C. J., Garcia, M. A., Nihart, A., Liu, R., Yin, L., Adolphi, N., Gallego, D. F., Kang, H., Campen, M. J., & Yu, X. (2024). Microplastic presence in dog and human testis and its potential association with sperm count and weights of testis and epididymis. Toxicological Sciences, 200(2), 235–240. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfae060

¹³ Montano, L., Raimondo, S., Piscopo, M., Ricciardi, M., Guglielmino, A., Chamayou, S., Gentile, R., Gentile, M., Rapisarda, P., Oliveri Conti, G., Ferrante, M., & Motta, O. (2025). First evidence of microplastics in human ovarian follicular fluid: An emerging threat to female fertility. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 291, 117868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.117868

¹⁴ Ragusa, A., Svelato, A., Santacroce, C., Catalano, P., Notarstefano, V., Carnevali, O., Papa, F., Rongioletti, M. C. A., Baiocco, F., Draghi, S., D’Amore, E., Rinaldo, D., Matta, M., & Giorgini, E. (2021). Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta. Environment International, 146, 106274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106274

¹⁵ Li, J., Wang, K., Lin, Z., Zhu, M., Xu, S., Cui, Z., Ouyang, Z., Wen, D., & Li, Q. (2025). Detection and quantification of microplastics in meconium by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS). Journal of Chromatography A, 1749, 465868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2025.465868

¹⁶ Ragusa, A., Notarstefano, V., Svelato, A., Belloni, A., Gioacchini, G., Blondeel, C., Zucchelli, E., De Luca, C., D’Avino, S., Gulotta, A., Carnevali, O., & Giorgini, E. (2022). Raman Microspectroscopy Detection and Characterization of Microplastics in Human Breastmilk. Polymers, 14(13), 2700. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14132700

¹⁷ Courtenay, C., Goodrum, J., Nicholas, B., & Walsh, B. (2024, September). Stopping PFAS at its source. Virginia Conservation Network. https://vcnva.org/agenda-item/stopping-pfas-at-its-source/

¹⁸ Plastic circular economy online. (2025). PlastChem Project. https://plastchem-project.org/

¹⁹ Woodruff, T. J. (2024). Health effects of fossil fuel–derived endocrine disruptors. The New England Journal of Medicine, 390(10), 922–933. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra2300476

²⁰ Wirth, D. A., Cropper, M., Axelrad, D. A., Bald, C., Bhatnagar, A., Birnbaum, L. S., Burke, T. A., Chiles, T. C., Geiser, K., Griffin, C., Kumar, P., Mandrioli, D., Park, Y., Raps, H., Roger, A., Smith, T. R., States, J. C., Straif, K., Tickner, J. A., Wagner, W., Wang, Z., Whitman, E. M., Woodruff, T. J., Yousuf, A., & Landrigan, P. J. (2025). Manufactured chemicals and children’s health — The need for new law. The New England Journal of Medicine, 392(3), 299–305. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMms2409092

²¹ Annual report on microplastics and human health. (2023). Annals of Global Health. https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.4056

²² Neglected: Environmental justice impacts of marine litter and plastic pollution. (2021, April). United Nations Environment Programme. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/35417/EJIPP.pdf

²³ Report on the progress of the state agency recycling initiative and metric tonnage of the state’s recycling program pursuant to Executive Order 17. (2024). Virginia Department of General Services. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2024/RD797/PDF

²⁴ 2023 annual report of the Plastic Waste Prevention Advisory Council pursuant to House Bill 1354. (2023). Commonwealth of Virginia. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2023/RD815/PDF

²⁵ Waste diversion & recycling task force – a report of findings and recommendations. (2022). Commonwealth of Virginia. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2022/RD605/PDF

²⁶ Peer, A. S. (2021, December 14). Plastic Paradox: Making Plastic Circular in Virginia. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.28939.40489

²⁷ Larsen, P. (2024, December 27). Virginia recycling programs, rates make little progress. VPM News. https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-12-27/virginia-reduce-reuse-recycle-program-waste-litter-landfill-update

²⁸ Breaking the plastic wave: A comprehensive assessment of pathways toward stopping ocean plastic pollution. (2020, October). The Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pew.org/-/media/assets/2020/10/breakingtheplasticwave_mainreport.pdf

²⁹ Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) Permit Regulation, 9VAC25-31. (2022, October 10). Virginia Register of Regulations, Vol. 39, Issue 4. https://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=10380

³⁰ Nikiema, J., & Asiedu, Z. (2022). A review of the cost and effectiveness of solutions to address plastic pollution. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(17), 24547–24573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18038-5

³¹ Where curbside recycling programs have stopped and started in the US. Waste Dive. (2019, December 18). The Waste Dive Team. https://www.wastedive.com/news/curbside-recycling-cancellation-tracker/569250

³² Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. (n.d.). Litter tax (Section 58.1‑1707). Retrieved June 11, 2025, from https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/land-waste/litter-prevention/litter-tax

³³  The 50 States of Recycling 2.0: A state‑by‑state assessment of containers and packaging recycling rates. (2023). Ball Corporation. https://www.ball.com/sustainability/real‑circularity/50‑states‑of‑recycling

³⁴ McKay, L., Register, K., & Raabe, S. (2022, May). Plastic pollution: Virginia’s voters support action: 2022 public perception survey. https://www.cleanvirginiawaterways.org/research-publications