Reducing plastic production, consumption, and waste to keep human-made waste out of Virginia’s streams, rivers, and coastal waters.
Virginia Conservation Network advocated for 45 bills this General Assembly session that protect Virginians from flooding impacts, monitor toxic pollution, reduce plastic pollution & waste, and more.
Extended Producer Responsibility is the concept that manufacturers are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their product, particularly for end-of-life disposal and recycling. These programs shift waste management burdens away from consumers, local governments, and taxpayers to the producers, which incentivizes producers to design programs and products to be more sustainable, reusable, or recyclable.
Clean Virginia Waterways released a report highlighting Mondelēz International's efforts to stop the implementation of proven plastic pollution reduction policies in Virginia.
Virginia Conservation Network advocated for 25 bills this General Assembly session that protect communities from flooding, reduce toxic pollution in water, reduce plastic litter, and more.
Virginia must take immediate action to reduce or eliminate plastic pellet pollution.
Katie Register and Zach Huntington from Clean Virginia Waterways provided commentary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch that phasing out polystyrene containers will not economically burden restaurants, as sustainable alternatives are available, affordable, and enhance customer support.
The Environmental Integrity Project released a report examining the disproportionate impact of 50 plastics plants on nearby vulnerable communities, including Black and Latino communities.
VCN is supporting efforts to address Virginia's plastics crisis, improving our understanding of the impact of plastic pollution on our environment and health.
Our Partners at Environment Virginia highlight the success of single-use plastic bag bans on reducing plastic bag use and associated litter and pollution.