Elly Boehmer
State Director, Environment Virginia
[email protected]
Statement: Virginia House of Delegates vote to ban single use foam
Media Contacts
Environment Virginia
Richmond, VA — Today, the Virginia House of Delegates voted 58 to 40 to pass Del. Betsy Carr’s bill (HB1902) to ban polystyrene foam (what most of us call Styrofoam) cups and take-out containers in Virginia. Polystyrene products are one of the most frequently observed kinds of plastic litter in the ocean. Del Carr’s bill passed the House of Delegates in 2020 but a reenactment clause was added by the Senate, requiring it to be re-introduced this year. This year’s bipartisan bill will now head to the Senate once again this year for action.
Elly Boehmer, state director of Environment Virginia issued the following statement:
A lot of waste comes from things we don’t need and we know we shouldn’t use, such as foam cups and take-out containers. This trash ends up in our open spaces and waterways, where it endangers wildlife. Polystyrene never breaks down, so it harms our environment for decades. Nothing we use for five minutes should pollute our planet for generations to come.
We thank Del. Carr for championing this bill for the past two years and her ongoing advocacy for the environment.
Environment Virginia has talked to tens of thousands of Virginians about plastic pollution and polystyrene and has collected more than 50,000 petitions calling on our leaders to take action on this crucial issue. Virginia’s leaders in the House of Delegates listened again today and we look forward to our leaders in the Senate doing the same.
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Environment Virginia is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.
