PLASTIC WASTE
Our Commitment
Reducing plastic production, consumption, and waste to keep human-made waste out of Virginia’s streams, rivers, and coastal waters.
THE ISSUE
Building on the growing concern and increased willingness to take action to decrease the amount of plastic waste in Virginia’s environment, now is the time to craft policies and laws that will keep man-made waste out of Virginia’s streams, rivers, and coastal waters. We can do this by eliminating the most harmful types of mismanaged waste, incentivizing sustainable disposal of what we do use, and prioritizing the shift to sustainable and reusable products.
Bill of the Day: Reduce, Reuse, Extended Producer Responsibility, Recycle
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 Water & Flood Resilience Recap: 2025 Bill Outcomes
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.
Bill of the Day: Ending Plastic Pellet Pollution
Virginia must take immediate action to reduce or eliminate plastic pellet pollution.
Bill of the Day: Addressing Virginia’s Plastics Crisis
VCN is supporting efforts to address Virginia's plastics crisis, improving our understanding of the impact of plastic pollution on our environment and health.
Water Policy: 2023 General Assembly Review
Policies to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, reduce plastic pollution, and reduce toxins in our drinking water.
How Virginia Can Reduce Plastic Pollution
Eradicating plastic pollution is a top priority for many Virginians. Two proven solutions: increased producer responsibility and bottle bills.
RESOURCES
Report: Mondelēz International and Opposition to Plastic Pollution Policies
Clean Virginia Waterways released a report highlighting Mondelēz International's efforts to stop the implementation of proven plastic pollution reduction policies in Virginia.
Banning Polystyrene in Restaurants
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.
Report: Feeding the Plastics Industrial Complex
The Environmental Integrity Project released a report examining the disproportionate impact of 50 plastics plants on nearby vulnerable communities, including Black and Latino communities.
Plastic Bag Bans Work
Our Partners at Environment Virginia highlight the success of single-use plastic bag bans on reducing plastic bag use and associated litter and pollution.
Report: 50 States of Recycling 2.0
The 50 States of Recycling Report is a first-of-its-kind state-by-state comparable assessment of common packaging materials.
Breathing Plastic: The Health Impacts of Invisible Plastics in the Air (Report)
Breathing Plastic: The Health Impacts of Invisible Plastics in the Air analyzes the implications of micro- and nanoplastics moving through the air and entering the human body via inhalation.
