Virginia’s Solid Waste Program has been in existence since 1971 and is responsible for protecting human health and the environment, while at the same time efficiently conserving, managing, and planning for the waste that is generated.
It is the policy of the Virginia Waste Management Board to promote the development of comprehensive waste management programs that include the following components of a waste management hierarchy:
- Source reduction.
- Reuse.
- Recycling.
- Resource recovery (waste to energy).
- Incineration.
- Landfilling.
The DEQ is responsible for administering the regulations governing the management of solid waste in Virginia.
Virginia DEQ's Solid Waste Program encourages the reuse and recycling of solid waste and regulates the storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste. The regulations provide standards which are designed to protect human health and the environment from these solid waste management activities.
The Solid Waste Program is EPA-approved and our regulations are in compliance with the federal regulations (40 CFR 258) for municipal solid waste landfills. Virginia was the first state in the nation to receive a tentative approval for its solid waste permitting program. EPA's approvals for this program were published in the Federal Register on February 3, 1993, March 28, 1994, October 7, 2003 and March 18, 2009.
The programmatic responsibilities for permitting of solid waste management facilities, inspecting for compliance with permit and regulatory requirements and enforcement of those requirements is accomplished by DEQ's Regional Offices. The Division of Land Protection and Revitalization provides technical assistance and guidance, and administers other aspects of the Solid Waste Program (e.g., financial assurance, solid waste information and assessment reporting, and recycling).