Dear Delegates:
As an entity (Clean Fairfax, Fairfax County) that receives a portion of the proceeds of "The Litter Tax" I write to urge you to support HJ448 which would ask the Department of Environmental Quality to study ways to reform and update the Litter Tax.
As you may be aware the litter analyzed in the original study from 1979, has little relevance to the litter that we encounter across Virginia communities in 2025. For example, 46 years ago, aluminum cans were the most common type of litter found, comprising 38% of all litter found in the outdated study.
Over the past several years of monitoring and cleaning up litter in Fairfax County's streams, however, we have found that food and beverage plastic detritus account for more than 75% of litter floating in area waterways.
Those aluminum cans of the late 70s have been replaced by an overwhelming avalanche of plastic--bottles, food containers, wraps, bags, polystyrene (foam--let's hope we get that foam ban in place) and other single use plastic litter. We rarely find aluminum cans now.
In addition, we believe there are opportunities to increase the fees that retail outlets pay to have the fund keep up with inflation and help mitigate the litter problem in the commonwealth, and offer opportunities for creative problem-solving on the front end of the problem, as well as the cleanups on the back end.
This fund has an excellent return on investment as it is used across the commonwealth generally by localities and nonprofits to support volunteer led community cleanups,--thousands of volunteers each year, putting in tens of thousands of volunteer hours in their communities, picking up tons of mismanaged mismanaged solid waste (aka litter) that has flown out of the backs of trucks, out of dumpsters and trash cans and recycling bins.
We hope you will move this bill along and we look forward to assisting DEQ with this important work, just as we have for the last 40 years since we were established in Fairfax County to work on this exact issue.
Very truly yours--
Jen Cole, Director, Clean Fairfax
Dear Delegates: As an entity (Clean Fairfax, Fairfax County) that receives a portion of the proceeds of "The Litter Tax" I write to urge you to support HJ448 which would ask the Department of Environmental Quality to study ways to reform and update the Litter Tax. As you may be aware the litter analyzed in the original study from 1979, has little relevance to the litter that we encounter across Virginia communities in 2025. For example, 46 years ago, aluminum cans were the most common type of litter found, comprising 38% of all litter found in the outdated study. Over the past several years of monitoring and cleaning up litter in Fairfax County's streams, however, we have found that food and beverage plastic detritus account for more than 75% of litter floating in area waterways. Those aluminum cans of the late 70s have been replaced by an overwhelming avalanche of plastic--bottles, food containers, wraps, bags, polystyrene (foam--let's hope we get that foam ban in place) and other single use plastic litter. We rarely find aluminum cans now. In addition, we believe there are opportunities to increase the fees that retail outlets pay to have the fund keep up with inflation and help mitigate the litter problem in the commonwealth, and offer opportunities for creative problem-solving on the front end of the problem, as well as the cleanups on the back end. This fund has an excellent return on investment as it is used across the commonwealth generally by localities and nonprofits to support volunteer led community cleanups,--thousands of volunteers each year, putting in tens of thousands of volunteer hours in their communities, picking up tons of mismanaged mismanaged solid waste (aka litter) that has flown out of the backs of trucks, out of dumpsters and trash cans and recycling bins. We hope you will move this bill along and we look forward to assisting DEQ with this important work, just as we have for the last 40 years since we were established in Fairfax County to work on this exact issue. Very truly yours-- Jen Cole, Director, Clean Fairfax