The LWV-SHR supports an integrated approach to waste management that emphasizes reducing waste, reusable goods in place of single-use, efficient and environmentally safe recycling, and extended producer responsibility. To that end, recycling should be managed as an essential part of waste management and a public good that benefits all who live in or visit the region. We recommend that the cities of South Hampton Roads:

● Explore a regional approach to recycling similar to that for other solid waste, with consistent rules and costs across the region.

● Consider expanding the kinds of materials accepted for recycling, for example, organics and textiles.

● Continually test and improve ways to inform and motivate residents to reduce waste, to choose reusable goods and goods containing post-consumer recycled materials, and to recycle correctly.

● Consider how to make convenient recycling equitable onsite where people live.

● Use government purchasing contracts to specify materials that can be recycled or composted, or that contain post-consumer recycled materials to create a market for recyclables.

● Encourage the development of local businesses that can use our recycling streams, to help close the loop and reuse materials locally, creating a more circular economy.

● Advocate for extended producer responsibility laws to encourage reduced excess packaging and fewer single-use products.