Jaimi McPeek – Hi everyone! Many of you know me as your local environmental scientist, but I’m also working on something much bigger—I am the Legislative Director for the VA Bottle Bill, a proposed recycling refund program. Here’s how it works: When you buy a beverage, you pay a small deposit on each bottle or can. Once you return the empty container to a store or redemption center, you get your deposit back.

Beverage containers make up 71% of Virginia’s roadside litter, and because we’re located along the Chesapeake Bay, much of this waste ends up in our ocean. Right now, Virginia recycles only 8% of its beverage containers, but with a successful Bottle Bill, we could increase that to 80%! This program would reduce beverage container litter, lower overall pollution, boost recycling rates, decrease landfill waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions from incinerators, and create jobs.

We need your support! Please sign the petition at www.vabottlebill.org/sign-the-petition
When you enter your zip code, an email will automatically be sent to your local elected officials, letting them know you support the Bottle Bill. Our goal is to bring this to the 2026 General Assembly, but we need strong constituent backing—every signature truly makes a difference!

With over 8 billion tons of plastic entering our waterways each year, we can’t afford to wait. Please sign and share!