The coastal region of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay is not only an important natural resource to people who visit it for fun or live there permanently; but also demands careful management in an age when humans can increasingly affect earth’s climate.
However, much like many coastal regions, Virginia’s beaches face a large obstacle in terms of pollution from marine debris and plastic waste as well other environmental threats. Efforts to address these issues are widespread in Virginia, and include programs aimed at reducing the overall volume of beach debris entering local waters – while also protecting coastal ecosystems and promoting greater public awareness/public engagement.
Statewide Cleanup Programs
One of the key contributors to tidying up Virginia’s coasts yearly is through participation in annual state and international cleanups organized by the Ocean Conservancy, with Virginia Clean Waterways forming an effort under that umbrella. Volunteers from across the state come together to gather trash and debris out of beaches, rivers, and other waterways by Virginia Clean Waterways. These cleanups not only are able to remove a large volume of trash, but also collect data on what types and where these plastics come from.
The results of this effort help guide policy and inform the public about what kinds of litter are most likely to be found, including plastic bottles or cigarette butts. By understanding what is polluting Virginia, we can focus in on solutions that truly target the problem, including advocating for bans of certain single-use plastics or promoting recycling and waste reduction programs.
Municipal and Community-Level Actions
The state’s coastal cities and counties operate beach cleanup sites as well. Some cities such as Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Hampton have long-running programs that help keep public beaches clean. These are often programs that clean every day or week during the summer months when tourism is highest, and also put out trash and recycling bins to encourage good waste management.
Some community organizations and nonprofits also host beach cleanups, in addition to the countless efforts put forth by various levels of government. Organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Clean Virginia Waterways (a program of Longwood University) conduct clean-up volunteer events, often paired with educational campaigns to promote beach stewardship. They often work with local schools, businesses and civic groups to help get the community involved in building a better future for Virginia’s coast.
For example, Virginia Beach has its own checkpoint program where businesses and schools can adopt-for the-beach even communities of beaches. These groups commit to doing some form of regular cleanups and when they collect data on the types of litter, it tells a particular program whether or not less items are being left behind which contributes to an overall cleaner environment and gives those participating in these type programs a sense of stewardship!
Policy and Legislative Actions
Virginia has gone the same route, attempting to attack beach pollution at its source through legislation on waste management. Over the years, California has put several measures in place to tackle plastic pollution – a key source of marine debris. While single-use plastics have been of growing concern for a while, certain states such as Virginia has already banned the use of polystyrene foam food containers on beaches and in parks because they are particularly prone to littering and difficult to recycle.
The state has also rolled out incentives for plastic bag reductions. A five-cent tax on single-use plastic bags has been implemented in cities like the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia. Money collected from this tax goes to fund environmental cleanup programs, including beach clean-ups and educational efforts on how we can reduce waste.
Virginia has also imposed new stormwater management regulations in an effort to keep debris from entering waterways and making its way down a river to the ocean. Major points of contamination sites for the Bay – itself a degraded waterway trapped between concrete walls reducing flow by up to 95% and which every river in Virginia lacks per USGS records including ODUs portion within Hampton Roads – stormwater runoff carries litter, nitrogen phosphates amongst other pollution from cities like Norfolk or Chesapeake into rivers then through occasions directly into Atlantic Ocean.
Virginia is actively taking steps to increase the effectiveness of its management practices for stormwater, and in doing so decreasing trash from reaching Virginia’s beaches.
Programs making Education and Outreach Sense
Virginia’s beach cleanups efforts have been by education and public awareness; two separate post-activity reporting systems due to the former. The state and different organizations are trying to educate residents and visitors about the trash’s influence on marine ecosystems along with waste disposal processes.
Educational Programs such as Clean Virginia Waterways provides lesson plans and activities to help students grasp concepts of marine debris, the ramifications caused by plastic pollution and an appreciation for preservation. The results are now being shared with scientists in Hawaii, who will explore new ways to tackle littering through public service campaigns and encourage beachgoers to bring their trash.
Increased public engagement is also strengthened by measures such as the Leave No Trace campaign, which seeks to promote mindful experience of outdoor recreation and leave natural sites clean. Virginia is hoping by creating a more environmental conscious culture this will stop the litter from ending up on her beaches.
Future Directions for Sustainability
Virginia pushes sustainable long-term beach pollution management solutions. This includes education, recycling programs, utilizing biodegradable materials and expanding research into the impacts of marine debris on local ecosystems.
The state is also looking at other states in its Chesapeake Bay watershed to find opportunities improve regional-level cooperation pollution reduction. By working together, states can share best practices; coordinated cleanup efforts and address the sources of marine debris more effectively.
Virginia is tackling its beach cleanup in a multifaceted form where statewide programs are currently running alongside local government and community initiatives but as well, there has been legislative action to address the issue of discarded plastic littering our waterways.
Virginia has significantly improved its capacities to protect beaches and coastal environments a result of boosted clean up efforts, public education schemes as well as revised state policies. As these efforts evolve, the state is committed to keeping its beaches clean, healthy and fun for generations of Illinoisans.