The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has released its annual report on solid waste management.
The report details the amounts, types and sources of solid waste managed by 203 facilities in Virginia in 2021, including solid waste generated outside the Commonwealth. Solid waste includes municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, industrial waste, vegetative and yard waste, and other types of refuse.
Virginia facilities received a total of 22.7 million tons of solid waste in 2021, an increase of 1 percent from 2020. The total amount received from outside of Virginia decreased by 5.3 percent. Approximately 73.2 percent was sent to landfills, while 11.8 percent was incinerated and 8.2 percent was recycled.
“DEQ’s thorough data collection from solid waste facilities provides key insights into our progress as well as opportunities for us to improve comprehensive waste management throughout the Commonwealth,” said DEQ Director Mike Rolband.
“Waste management facilities make every effort to divert waste from landfills, with over nine percent composted, mulched and recycled during this reporting period,” said Land Protection and Revitalization Division Director Kathryn Perszyk. “This does not account for recycling, mulching or composting activities at facilities that are not required to have a solid waste permit.”
Other findings of note in the report include:
- Approximately 1.1 percent of the waste was composted.
- Five jurisdictions accounted for 97.5 percent of all waste received from out-of-state sources – mainly, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina.
- Construction and demolition debris waste received from out-of-state decreased by 7.8 percent and industrial waste by 23.3 percent.
The complete solid waste report is available on the DEQ website. Visit the myDEQ portal to view the agency’s online reporting functions.
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