Two important bills designed to reduce litter in Virginia were approved by the General Assembly this week, but not without a compromise that makes some environmentalists uneasy.
The first measure to win approval bars people from releasing balloons into the atmosphere. At the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Director Peggy Sanner says that will reduce litter and protect wildlife.
“Balloons tend to blow with the air currents, and in many cases end up in our waterways where they create a very serious problem for marine mammals whose digestive systems are often destroyed by these balloons.”
The General Assembly also voted to phase out the use of polystyrene – those plastic, clam shell containers for carry-out food.
“These containers are not biodegradable," Sanner explains. "They end up not only trashing certain parts of our land areas but also they end up in our waterways, also creating a hazard for marine life.”
There was some resistance in the Senate, where members feared it would hurt an industry already struggling during the pandemic, so lawmakers paired it with another bill to encourage a relatively new approach to recycling – using high heat to break down plastic so it can be used to make other things.
The Virginia Manufacturers Association claims it could enable recycling of 65% of plastic trash, so lawmakers agreed to excuse the industry – known as advanced recycling – from the permit required for other forms of waste management.
