Materials & Waste

In March 2021, Governor Northam signed Executive Order 77: Virginia Leading by Example to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Solid Waste, which requires all state agencies, including institutions of higher education to cease buying, selling, and distributing single-use plastic and polystyrene food service containers, single-use plastic straws and cutlery, disposable plastic bags, and single-use plastic water bottles by July 21, 2021.The order also calls for agencies to phase-out the use of of all other single-use plastics by 2025. This order is a positive step toward making our whole Commonwealth cleaner and our economy more sustainable. It also aligns closely with the University’s own sustainability goals and work that has already been underway to reduce single-use plastics.