Virginia Trash Imports Continue To Grow

Richmond, Va. — According to a state report described in the Daily Press newspaper, Virginia experienced a 22 percent increase in out-of-state garbage in 2003 when compared with the previous year. "Garbage from neighboring states and New York made up a fourth of the 25 million tons of trash handled by Virginia’s 205 permitted landfills last year," the paper says. "The 6.6 million tons of imported trash is enough to fill more than 60,000 truckloads and represents the largest out-of-state ratio since the Virginia Department of Environmental Equality started tracking trash imports in 1998." Virginia is the second largest trash importer in the nation, ranking behind Pennsylvania, according to the report.