Knocking on doors to support producer responsibility in Virginia

This summer we are knocking on doors across Virginia to build support for plastic reduction policies where producers are responsible for the impact of their products and required to reduce their use of plastic. As we are having thousands of face to face conversations, one thing is very clear: Virginians are concerned about plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution in Virginia

Every day, people throw away millions of pieces of single-use plastic “stuff” — and too much of it polluting our communities, or washing into the Chesapeake Bay. By design, plastic takes hundreds of years to fully degrade — which means every piece of plastic ever produced is still out there, sitting in landfills or floating in the water, waiting to be mistaken as a deadly piece of food by an eagle, sea turtle or dolphin.

Holding producers responsible

We’re going out into neighborhoods to build support for action on plastics in Virginia.  We are calling on Virginia leaders to require manufacturers to reduce the overall amount of plastic packaging they create, and pay for the costs associated with disposal of the waste they continue to create. For example, right now plastic bags cost manufacturers only a penny to produce, but on average it costs the localities that have to dispose of that bag 17 cents to deal with it after it is thrown away. Everything about that equation has to change.

Over 70% of Virginians support requiring manufacturers to use less plastic and make them pay for the programs that deal with the waste they create. And we have a real chance to pass statewide policies that will reduce plastic, and hold polluters accountable.

We know we know with support from Virginians of all walks of life, we can win real results for our environment and move beyond plastics.