Executive Order 77 Summary
In March 2021, the Executive Order 77: Virginia Leading by Example to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Solid Waste was signed. This requires all state agencies, including institutions of higher education to cease buying, selling, and distributing single-use plastic and polystyrene food service containers, single-use plastic straws and cutlery, disposable plastic bags, and single-use plastic water bottles by July 21, 2021. The order also calls for agencies to phase-out the use of all other single-use plastics by 2025. This order is a positive step toward making our whole Commonwealth cleaner and our economy more sustainable.
The goal is to eliminate most single-use plastics at state agencies, colleges and universities; impose a near-term ban on several common but unnecessary disposable plastics; and require the phase out of other items by 2025.
For more details, see the NVCC Single-Use Plastic Reduction Strategy.
Water Bottle Fillers
Since 2015, the College has installed bottle filling stations College-wide. The majority of these are touchless and can refill any container (bottle, cup, etc).
Here is a high-level overview of what happens to materials at NOVA:
Single Stream Recycling
We have Single Stream Recycling that is picked up by Con-Serv International (CSI) at the Alexandria, Loudoun, Manassas and Woodbridge Campuses; and Fairfax County Solid Waste Division at the Annandale and Medical Education Campuses. Look for this graphic to identify interior recycling bin locations.
