Polystyrene Ban

• Applies to any individual, organization, group or state or local government entity that regularly provides food as a part of its services, including via a store, shop, sales outlet, restaurant, grocery store, supermarket, delicatessen or catering truck or vehicle.
• Beginning July 1, 2025, no food vendor that is part of a chain with 20 or more locations offering for sale substantially the same menu items and doing business under the same name, regardless of the form of ownership of such locations, shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.
• Food vendors can request an exemption from its locality if the food vendor demonstrates that compliance would impose an undue economic hardship on the food vendor (more detail provided in the law).
• Beginning July 1, 2026, no food vendor of any type shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container (no exemptions provided).

Balloon Release Prohibition

It is unlawful for anyone over 16 years old to intentionally release, discard or cause to be released or discarded outdoors any balloon made of a non-biodegradable or non-photodegradable material or any material that requires more than five minutes' contact with air or water to degrade. The penalty is $25 per balloon released or discarded. The law does not apply to any balloon that is released on behalf of the Commonwealth or the U.S. or pursuant to a contract with the Commonwealth, the U.S. or another state for scientific or meteorological purposes or hot air balloon that is recovered after launch.

Plastic Waste Prevention Advisory Council

Established by the 2020 General Assembly to advise the Governor on “policy and funding priorities to eliminate plastic waste impacting native species and polluting the Commonwealth’s environment and to contribute to achieving plastics packaging circular economy industry standards.” The Council, which consists of ten members, including two legislative members, four nonlegislative citizen members and four ex officio members, held its first meeting on June 17, 2021. The Council was required to provide recommendations on legislation to accelerate the elimination of plastic bags and polystyrene packaging used or sold in the Commonwealth in their report submitted in November 2021. The Council's 2022 Report can be found on the Virginia Legislative Information System. The Council also put together a 2023 Final Statement and Recommendations.

Waste Diversion and Recycling Task Force

DEQ was tasked by the 2020 General Assembly to establish a Waste Diversion and Recycling Task Force to meet to discuss ways to increase waste diversion and recycling. The resolution requests that the Task Force include stakeholders to discuss (i) methods of improving recycling, reducing waste, and diverting waste from landfills; (ii) recommendations to reduce waste at the source, such as composting and recycling of organic material; and (iii) whether current recycling rates required by Virginia law should be increased and whether state policy should be changed to give landfills a greater role in the management of organic material. It also requests that the Task Force discuss potential improvements in the goals and efficiency of the grant program funded by the Litter Control and Recycling Fund, which under current law is used to fund local litter prevention, recycling grants to localities, and statewide and regional litter prevention and recycling educational program grants. The task force started meeting in late 2021 and submitted a report in 2021 and 2022.

Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan

In October 2014, Virginia because the first state on the east coast to publish a Marine Debris Reduction Plan. The plan is a roadmap for working together on sustained approaches to reduce the flow of plastic and other litter. The plan was revised in 2021 and revolves around major goals to reduce consumer debris, derelict fishing gear, microplastics and abandoned/derelict fishing vessels. The updated plan’s format aligns with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2021-2026 Mid-Atlantic Regional Marine Debris Action Plan, which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Virginia Plastic Pollution Prevention Network

The mission of the Virginia Plastic Pollution Prevention Network (VPPPN) is to promote and facilitate coordination, collaboration, and communication among groups working to reduce plastic pollution throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Members of the free network include organizations that are working on issues related to plastic pollution including non-profits, educational facilities, businesses, trade industries, researchers and governmental agencies.

Virginia Green Travel Alliance

The Virginia Green Travel Alliance is the state’s voluntary program to encourage green practices in tourism. The program started in the fall of 2007 as a partnership between the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association and DEQ. Since then, more than 1,800 tourism operations, including state parks, state museums, events and hotels and restaurants located at state universities, have self-certified their environmental practices and been recognized as Virginia Green Travel Partners.

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Sustainable Materials Management

Sustainable materials management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycle. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By examining how materials are used throughout their life cycle, an SMM approach seeks to: use materials in the most productive way with an emphasis on using less, reduce toxic chemicals and environmental impacts throughout the life cycle and assure we have sufficient resources to meet today’s needs and those of the future. EPA’s SMM website includes information on the sustainable management of food and electronics as well as tools, resources and sign-ups for the SMM newsletter and webinars.

Green Sports Alliance

The Green Sports Alliance is a trade organization that convenes stakeholders from around the sporting world (teams, leagues, conferences, venue, corporate partners, governmental agencies, athletes and fans) to promote health, sustainable communities. The Alliance works to promote renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices through its monthly newsletter, webinars, conferences and other events.

Practice Greenhealth

Practice Greenhealth is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2008 through the merger of three groups: US EPA’s Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), the Green Guide for Health Care and the Healthcare Clean Energy Exchange. They work to educate health care professionals about pollution prevention and sustainability options and provide a wealth of practical tools and resources to facilitate movement in the health care industry toward environmental sustainability. Practice Greenhealth’s website offers information, best practices and solutions for greening the many facets of the health care industry, including buildings, chemicals, climate and health, energy efficiency and conservation, food, greening the operating room, sustainable procurement, transportation, waste reduction and water conservation.