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*Many actions from the 2021-2025 plan have been updated and contain new language*
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Orange cells are new proposed actions
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Understand, Prevent, and Mitigate the Impacts of Consumer Debris (Mainly Single-use Plastic)
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Consumer Debris consists of ubiquitous human-made materials and is dominated by single-use plastics. In Virginia, common debris items include single-use bags and bottles, polystyrene cups, balloons, cigarettes, food containers, straws, as well as larger debris, such as tires, large appliances, and other consumer products.
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Goal Performance Metric: Reduction in marine debris from consumer items.
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Strategy 1.1.: Prevention, Behavior Change, Education, Outreach
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Proposed LeadProposed Partners
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Action 1.1.1.:Lead(s) and Partner(s): from previous plan
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Collaborate with state and Mid-Atlantic partners to design or adapt multimedia on type-specific consumer debris to inform one or more audiences where lack of knowledge is known to be or may be the barrier to action. Prioritize products that can support a more comprehensive campaign or program (such as CBSM) designed to encourage an action, and/or that can be adapted for use by a variety of programs and organizations. Multimedia includes written and digital media such as fact sheets, public displays, videos, infographics, social media, and mass media.

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Action 1.1.2.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Every year conduct outreach through in-person events to share marine debris information with the public through a variety of formats, venues, and locations. Where feasible and appropriate, track the number of people engaged and number of people that have shared contact information to be included in marine debris related communication at each event. Compile a comprehensive list of best practices for tracking these effects, and coordinate this list with the complementary efforts of the Mid-Atlantic Community of Practice for Marine Debris Prevention, Education, and Outreach.

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Action 1.1.3.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Create and maintain a Virginia Marine Debris Hub website (virginiamarinedebris.org) to serve as a central hub for sharing various marine debris related information relative to Virginia with a range of intended audiences. Design and content decisions for the Virginia Marine Debris Hub should be determined based on stakeholder feedback and a review of gaps and needs after reviewing existing marine debris focused websites maintained by Virginia organizations.
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Action 1.1.4.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Continue to foster communication and collaboration among government agencies (federal, state, and local), nonprofit organizations, research institutions, industry, and consumers through monthly announcements and monthly meetings of the Virginia Plastic Pollution Prevention Network (VP3N), as well as the VP3N social media pages, online forums and websites. Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Clean the Bay Day), Eco Maniac Company, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Ocean Conservancy, PlanRVA, Virginia Plastic Pollution Prevention Network
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Action 1.1.5.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Compile and maintain a directory listing Virginia marine debris partners and the programs, projects, and campaigns they currently have to offer, along with their contact information. Where applicable, include other details such as audience of focus and key associated multi-media resources. This directory should be shared online in a central location so that all relevant parties can access and help maintain it.

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Action 1.1.6.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Support the sustained implementation of social marketing campaigns to reduce marine debris from balloons, plastic bottles, and cigarette butts using the strategies developed in Virginia and with regional partners. Prior to 2030, conduct a mid-campaign evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the campaign strategy and or conduct a survey or other measure to assess a change in behavior attributable to the campaign.

Virginia CZM Program in collaboration with Clean Virginia Waterways, Eco Maniac Company, Elizabeth River Project, Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division, George Mason University, Keep It Beachy Clean, Keep Prince William Beautiful, Keep Virginia Beautiful, Lynnhaven River NOW, NOAA Marine Debris Program, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Ocean Conservancy, PlanRVA, Prince William County Public Works Department, Prince William SWCD, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
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Action 1.1.7.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Where determined necessary, and where there is sufficient capacity to do so, support research, design, development, and implementation of new community based social marketing campaigns focused on specific consumer debris issues.
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Action 1.1.8.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Develop or adapt existing resources (such as those developed by Virginia Green and other partners) on coordinating zero or reduced waste events in offices, schools, and other institutions. Resources may address purchasing policies and other policies to encourage reusable food and beverage items. Consider developing a Community of Practice made up of interested organizations to further share resources, discuss challenges, and share successes.
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Action 1.1.9.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Explore options and feasibility of a unified and year-round statewide litter prevention campaign based on CBSM marketing principles, including supporting, enhancing or expanding the Virginia Is for Lovers, Not Litter campaign currently led by Keep Virginia Beautiful and Virginia Department of Transportation.
Keep Virginia Beautiful, Clean Virginia Waterways, Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division, Prince William County Public Works Department, Prince William SWCD, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Virginia Green, Virginia Department of Transportation
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Action 1.1.10:
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Identify research gaps related to shotgun wad litter, including prevalence, use of available biodegradable alternatives, and barriers to use of these alternatives. Determine if and what informational and educational materials are needed.

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Action 1.1.11.:
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Based on the findings of the research in Action 1.1.10, design and implement an outreach campaign to support biodegradable shotgun wad.
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Action 1.1.12Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Assist state agencies, state parks, universities, and other public entities responding to recent state executive orders that focus on increasing recycling capacity, reducing food waste, increasing composting capacity, and reducing single use plastics. This may include convening partners to facilitate coordination, track progress, and evaluate policy or programmatic approaches.
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Action 1.1.13.:
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Recruit teachers to help develop consumer debris and plastic pollution lesson plans in line with SOL standards, that can be shared and made publicly available on virginiamarinedebris.org, and identify and compile existing multi-media resources that can be integrated into the lesson plans, educational toolkits for teachers, and/or shared through the marine debris resource hub website.
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Action 1.1.14.:
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Offer professional development and train-the-trainer programs through workshops or webinars to teachers and non-formal educators focusing on utilizing consumer debris-related lesson plans and otherwise expanding consumer debris resource education capacity, and distribute a kit for teachers that includes consumer debris lesson plans and a compilation of additional resources that partners have to offer.
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Action 1.1.15.:
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Share consumer debris educational materials through online platforms, in-person events, educator workshops, school programs and visits, summer camps, informal education venues, and field trips with at least 100 educators and 4000 preschool through twelfth grade (pre-k-12) Virginia students, and make them available online for diverse audience through virginiamarinedebris.org and other platforms
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Action 1.1.16.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Support, develop, and increase access to career development opportunities, such as internships and educational programs, for high school students, university students, and early career professionals coming from a broad range of communities.Keep Virginia Beautiful, Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Elizabeth River Project, Lynnhaven River NOW, Virginia Plastic Pollution Prevention Network
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Action 1.1.17.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Identify and promote industry partnerships in supply chain and production operations industries to promote reusable systems and extended producer responsibility in sectors such as, food service, hotels, tourism, retail, manufacturing, and wholesale.
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Action 1.1.18.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Support existing and new waste-source reduction research and campaigns, especially those with a focus on reuse, refill, and sustainable packaging and design.

Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Keep Virginia Beautiful, Lynnhaven River NOW, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Pollution Prevention, Virginia Green
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Strategy 1.2.: Research and Monitoring
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Action 1.2.1.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Each year collect data through shoreline and stormwater surveys and marine debris monitoring at study sites to better inform decision-makers and raise public awareness. Encourage citizen science where appropriate. Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM)/VIMS, Clean Fairfax, Elizabeth River Project, Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division, Keep Prince William Beautiful, NOAA Marine Debris Program, Ocean Conservancy and the International Trash Trap Network, Prince William County Public Works Department, Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District
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Action 1.2.2.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Analyze the economic impact of marine debris on Virginia's tourism revenue, recreational spending, and property values.
Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program (economic value of volunteer cleanups), George Mason University (other economic impacts)
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Action 1.2.3.:
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Perform a cost analysis to understand how much Virginia is spending annually to remove marine debris from the environment, and where feasible, identify the sources of those funds (local, state, federal etc).
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Action 1.2.4.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Conduct a literature review of baseline audience research on consumer debris – specifically debris types or categories on Virginia’s top ten list. Where identified as a need, conduct additional baseline audience research in Virginia to assess current perception, attitudes and awareness, and how people receive their information. Use this research to inform new informational and behavior change campaigns and if applicable to identify the need for new CBSM campaigns in support of action 1.1.6.
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Action 1.2.5.:
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Engage citizen scientists in standardized data collection practices and understand how to accurately analyze data and tell relevant stories with the data.
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Strategy 1.3.: Proper Disposal, Interception, and Infrastructure
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Action 1.3.1.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Work with local governments to identify marine debris "hotspots" and identifying steps that could be taken to increase proper disposal such as installing/maintaining disposal receptacles or installing signage.Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Cheaspeake Bay Foundation, Clean Fairfax, Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Prince William County, Public Works Department, VABottleBill.org
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Action 1.3.2.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Evaluate the effectiveness of local, state, and regional policies and ordinances that track and intercept plastic debris. Share this research on the Virginia Marine Debris Hub

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Action 1.3.3.:
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Identify opportunities to inform new or enhanced regional or local litter prevention plans including addressing opportunities for new or retrofitted stormwater systems to improve interception of plastic debris.
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Action 1.3.4.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Share effective trash interception practices, infrastructure improvements (e.g., trash traps) and litter and marine debris education resources with stormwater managers (in MS4 and non-MS4 permitted localities) to assist them as they address floatables and litter.Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, PlanRVA, Prince William County Public Works Department, VABottleBill.org
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Action 1.3.5.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Identify and support a locality in a pilot project to increase the use of tarps to cover pickup truck beds when transporting trash to rural solid waste collection sites. Evaluate this pilot program during implementation to develop practical recommendations for expanding knowledge about and compliance with the Virginia law requiring trucks to cover loads statewide.
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Action 1.3.6.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Engage relevant local and regional/national businesses that manage large parking lots to develop and pilot one or more voluntary efforts targeted on reducing the amount of debris that enters stormwater systems or otherwise exits the property. Outcomes and resources/best management practices may be shared to support wider adoption.
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Strategy 1.4.: Removal
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Action 1.4.1.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Increase the number of cleanup events that remove litter and marine debris and increase the number of people participating in cleanup events by expanding volunteer participation, increasing community involvement, and engaging new organizations and partners to lead or support cleanup events. Clean Virginia Waterways, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Elizabeth River Project, Keep Virginia Beautiful, Lynnhaven River NOW, Ocean Conservancy (quarterly posting on the VPPPN of cleanup data for Virginia), PlanRVA, Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District, Surfrider Virginia Chapter
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Action 1.4.2.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Increase the number of cleanups that collect debris type data and improve the consistency of data collected during cleanups. This may be accomplished through trainings, shared resources, and providing technical/capacity during cleanups.
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Strategy 1.5.: Policy, Management, Legislation and Enforcement
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Action 1.5.1:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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 Support localities implementing a fee on single-use disposable plastic bags. This can include conducting pre and post bag fee litter surveys, conducting outreach to businesses and citizens, developing informational resources, and addressing any technical/informational gaps.  Additionally, support localities adopting a fee on single-use disposable plastic bags.Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Clean Fairfax, LitterFreeVA.org, Lynnhaven River NOW, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Virginia Coastal Alliance
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Action 1.5.2.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Continue to summarize results of local government implementation of plastic bag fees. Identify stories of success, barriers, and challenges and facilitate discussion with localities on how to address any continued and common barriers. Share stories of success on the Virginia Marine Debris Hub.
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Action 1.5.3.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Provide printed resources to small restaurants and food vendors (fewer than 20 locations) to assist them in complying with the EPS ban in an economically sustainable manner. The resources will be made available through direct outreach with restaurants and the publicly available website.
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Action 1.5.4.: Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Increase public awareness of the ban on the intentional release of balloons through the Prevent Balloon Litter campaign. Partner with balloon retailers and distributors on point-of-sale methods to reach and educate their customers about the ban.
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Action 1.5.5.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Inform new state policies aimed at source reduction, prevention, interception, and removal of plastic pollution and marine debris. These could include: extended producer responsibility laws on beverage containers, packaging, tires, cigarettes, and mattresses; construction debris and foam pellet policies; a single use plastic bag ban; and truth in recycling and right to repair legislation.



Clean Virginia Waterways in collaboration with the Virginia CZM Program, Chesapeake Bay Commission Virginia Delegation, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Clean Fairfax, LitterFreeVA.org, Lynnhaven River NOW, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Oceana, Prince William County Public Works Department, VABottleBill.org, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Pollution Prevention
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Action 1.5.6.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Inform new local policies, ordinances, and/or management plans aimed at source reduction, prevention, and interception practices. This could include policies and ordinances regarding dumpster management and hauling, bulk trash disposal options, and a 5-cent fee on single-use plastic bags.
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Action 1.5.7.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Assist implementation of the policy recommendations of the Litter Tax Study Group (first meeting 9/16/2025)
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Action:1.5.8.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Develop a white paper on the feasibility of state and local policies to incentivize brick and mortar zero waste (e.g. bulk goods) retail stores in the Commonwealth.
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Action 1.5.9.:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Conduct at least one webinar for legislators and other policy makers to share current information on consumer debris sources and impacts as well as policies that can address common sources and impacts and protect Virginia's infrastructure (e.g., storm drains, landfills, water treatment plants) and aquatic environment.

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Action 1.5.10:Lead(s) and Partner(s):
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Support localities implementing policy and programs to assess compliance and enforce the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) ban. This can include but should not be limited to sharing technical resources, highlightinig case studies, and developing recommendations for best practices.
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