Door by door, Virginians call on leaders to put Wildlife Over Waste

Every summer, Environment Virginia organizers go door to door to talk to Virginians about pressing environmental issues. This summer we are calling on lawmakers to require producers to use less plastic and bear responsibility for their product’s waste. This type of policy is considered extended producer responsibility and has been utilized for decades to better manage hazardous waste such as paint, carpets, and e waste.

This summer we plan to have 32,000 conversations with Virginians and gather 12,000 petitions calling on lawmakers to require producers to use less plastic and bear the responsibility of their product’s waste. Only one month and a half into the summer, we have already had nearly 18,000 conversations and over 7,000 Virginians have taken action. 

Why Producer Responsibility?

Recycling is not enough. Most plastics cannot be recycled. Only about 9% of plastic containers and packaging actually gets recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or even in our waterways. It then harms wildlife for hundreds of years. It is important that we put an end to the large amounts of plastic packaging that are being produced before they continue to build up- harming animals, polluting water, and producing toxic chemicals. 

A lot of the plastic that is produced is only used once before it is thrown away. It then takes hundreds of years to biodegrade. Stress is placed on the consumers to recycle the plastic- even though it will often not get recycled. Consumers should not have the responsibility of managing plastic waste and litter when it is the producer that is creating unnecessary waste in the first place. It is time to put financial and physical responsibility back into the producers’ hands.

This is why it is so important that our canvassers are spreading this message. If we are able to convince our lawmakers to pass an extended producer responsibility law, the producers will be accountable for recycling the waste, and in return they will create less unnecessary plastic packaging.