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Virginia Del. Paul Krizek is calling for a sweeping review of the state’s litter tax, arguing that a system created nearly five decades ago no longer reflects the plastic waste accumulating along waterways, trails and roads.
The Litter Control and Recycling Fund has operated since 1976, when aluminum was commonly used for beverage containers and products such as plastic water bottles, energy drinks and ready-to-drink wine cocktails were largely absent from store shelves.
Plastic production has grown 744% since the tax took effect and is projected to double by 2040, according to research by Clean Virginia Waterways, a statewide nonprofit based at Longwood University.
Single-use containers for water, soft drinks and sports drinks accounted for about 23% of litter found in Virginia in 2022 data from the International Coastal Cleanup. Yet the state’s Soft Drinks Excise Tax covers soft drinks but not bottled water and several other beverages now commonly sold in plastic containers.
The fund provides local governments with money for environmental cleanups and recycling initiatives. Thousands of volunteers participate each year in community cleanups, youth education and projects supporting solid-waste infrastructure.
It is financed through annual flat fees paid by affected businesses. Retailers, distributors and producers generally pay $20, while manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers dealing in groceries, beer, soft drinks and carbonated beverages pay $30. Those charges were raised from $10 and $15, respectively, in their first increase in four decades.
Virginia currently collects about $3.2 million annually through the litter tax. Despite that, the state raises less per resident than any other state with a comparable system, according to a Clean Virginia Waterways study.
Krizek, who has worked on related legislation since 2019, authored a General Assembly study intended to identify ways to update the tax, expand recycling, reduce landfill waste and strengthen environmental programs.
The review would bring together representatives from government, industry and environmental organizations to examine Virginia’s solid-waste and recycling systems. It would assess which materials are entering landfills and waterways, which could be recycled more effectively and what economic value is lost when waste is not properly managed.
A central question is whether Virginia should expand the materials and products covered by its litter and soft-drink taxes. Adding newer product categories could generate more money for local cleanup programs without increasing the existing rates, Krizek argues.
The study will also consider barriers to recycling and practices used successfully elsewhere in the country. Its broader goal is to build a system suited to the modern waste stream rather than one based on consumer habits from 1976.
Fairfax County’s 5-cent disposable grocery bag tax offers one example of how policy can influence plastic use. Since the Board of Supervisors enacted the fee in 2022, bag use declined 2.5% from 2022 to 2023 and another 5% from 2023 to 2024.
That represented nearly 1 million fewer plastic bags during the first half of 2023 and almost 2 million fewer in 2024. Local cleanup groups have reported seeing the effects while working along Fairfax County roads and in parks and neighborhoods.
The county’s long-term objective is to collect no bag-tax revenue because shoppers have shifted to reusable bags. Until then, proceeds support cleanup work, pollution and litter reduction, waste-education campaigns and reusable bags for residents who need them.
Krizek maintains that broadening the litter-tax base and adopting stronger recycling practices could direct additional resources to localities while helping Virginia confront a waste problem that has changed dramatically over the past half-century.