This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which hopefully means trash and recycling pickup. I say hopefully, because the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority has struggled to maintain its schedule due to a shortage of workers and has missed some pickups recently and had to reschedule. That said, as neighbors, we should do our best to help.

One tool that might help ameliorate the situation if pickup does not come is this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/

Please go over what can be recycled. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news…The Virginia Mercury had a recent story about how state agencies are attempting to comply with Governor Northam’s executive order to phase out single-use plastics with an ultimate goal of eliminating their use by the end of 2025, while manufacturers and chemical companies are pushing back against regulation.

Meanwhile on the national level, as reported by Inside Climate News, President Biden’s infrastructure bill includes money for recycling, but the debate over plastics rages on – The industry sees bipartisan support for “sustainable” plastics, while environmentalists call that an oxymoron and say the funding will have limited impact.

Getting back to the local level, W. Cary Street and Belvidere Street have seen an increase in plastic litter as more fast food businesses have moved into the neighborhood. In other parts of the City, neighborhoods are directing parking permit money towards anti-litter programs.

The James River Association recently released 2021 State of the James, a biennial report card examining the status and trends of eighteen separate indicators across two categories, River Health and River Restoration Progress, that are interconnected and build on each other to achieve a healthy James River.
The overall health of the river has received a grade “B-” with a score of 61%. Although the grade for the James has remained in the B- range since 2015, the overall score dropped one point from 2019 and two points since the recent high of 63%.
Plastic pollution is the most common type of marine litter worldwide and a problem for Virginia’s rivers and streams including the James, threatening native wildlife and our marine ecosystems. Plastic does not biodegrade. Instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that persist in the environment and can work their way up the food chain to the fish that we eat. Virginians deserve plastic-free waterways, and we all have a role to play in accomplishing that goal.