Natural, Historic & Cultural Resources
Solid Waste & Recycling
Virginia's solid waste stream has grown over time. Although potential landfill space is available in Virginia, the transportation and disposal of solid waste remain a concern.
Why is This Important?
Landfills are associated with odors, risks to air and water quality, and increased traffic by heavy trucks loaded with landfill-bound waste. Unless properly constructed, maintained and monitored over a long period of time, landfills can leak highly contaminated leachate into the groundwater and emit numerous and sometimes dangerous air pollutants.
The availability of properly constructed and maintained landfills is an important public policy issue. To ensure the protection of the environment and of public health, proposed landfills are subject to significant licensing requirements, including site and design review by the Department of Environmental Quality. Expanding landfill capacity requires substantial startup time. Landfill standards differ for wastes according to the level of environmental hazard.
One method to reduce the amount of solid waste accumulating in landfills is recycling. Recycling not only reduces the amount of solid waste and their negative properties, but also saves energy compared to producing the same material from scratch.
How is Virginia Doing?
Virginia's solid waste stream has grown over time more or less in line with the growth in economic activity. In 2006, Virginia solid waste management facilities received and managed almost 18 million tons of solid waste. Other states send over 7 million tons, bringing Virginia's solid waste total to more than 25 million tons.
The statewide recycling rate has improved over the past four years, with the base recycling rate increasing from 30.3 percent in 2003 to 35.2 percent in 2006. In 2006, for the first time, localities could receive up to five additional credits for solid waste reused, non-municipal solid waste recycled, recycling residues, and source reduction programs. With the credits, the Hampton Roads region recycling rate (49.8 percent) led the state in 2006, followed by the Central region at 41.4 percent. The Eastern region (19.5 percent) had the lowest rate in the state.
What Influences Solid Waste?
Reducing solid waste levels requires commitment from individuals, corporations, and the government. In the last few decades, greater emphasis has been placed on protecting the sustainability of natural resources, preventing contamination of the environment, and reducing excess garbage.
What is the State's Role?
States are limited in the extent that they can influence the amount of waste deposited in landfills. Under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Virginia cannot prevent the importation of waste from other states for deposit in landfills within the state. The importation of waste has grown over recent years as northeastern states have found the cost of landfill space increasing rapidly, compared to the cost of transport to and disposal in Virginia.
Localities are responsible for determining the need for new landfill capacity and the use of their land. The Department of Environmental Quality is charged with regulating the management and disposal of waste. In this role, the department determines whether the new capacity approved by the localities is constructed and monitored in a manner protective of the environment; inspects landfills to ensure that their programs prevent unauthorized waste, such as hazardous waste, from entering the landfill; prescribes requirements that the owner must meet when the landfill is closed; and works with localities to promote recycling and to establish local programs.
The state could also evaluate economic incentives associated with recycling, waste generation and disposal.
What can Citizens Do?
Individuals and groups are encouraged to be active participants in resource management. To learn more about Virginia's environment, stewardship and public participation opportunities, or partners engaged in conservation, please visit the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources, www.naturalresources.virginia.gov, or Virginia Naturally, www.vanaturally.com.
Data Definitions and Sources
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, www.deq.virginia.gov/waste/aswrs.html & www.deq.virginia.gov/recycle/recycle.html
Recycling: Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, Southern Crater Region, and Virginia Peninsulas Public Service Authority covered counties that were in different regions. The region they were assigned depended on which region had more counties covered by the department.
Recycing Rate with Credits: Virginia Rate Adjusted for 5 % maximum percentage allowed for credits to the base recycling rate calculated by a solid waste planning unit.
