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Council approves $43,680 DEQ grant for polystyrene reduction; lifeguard urges action
Summary
Virginia Beach City Council approved accepting and appropriating $43,680.52 from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for litter prevention and recycling, including an extended polystyrene campaign, after public comment from an oceanfront lifeguard. The measure was part of a consent agenda passed 9-0.
The Virginia Beach City Council approved an ordinance to accept and appropriate $43,680.52 from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to support litter prevention and recycling programs, including an extended polystyrene campaign, on a 9-0 vote as part of the consent agenda.
The measure funds the Waste Management Enterprise Fund and includes related adjustments to the public works and parks and recreation operating budgets for fiscal year 2024–25. Council Member Henley read the ordinance on the consent agenda before the unanimous vote.
The item drew a public comment from Joseph Johnson, an oceanfront lifeguard, who urged the council to back measures that reduce polystyrene waste on Virginia Beach’s shoreline. "Please continue to support effort like the public works extended polystyrene campaign that keep plastic waste out of our water and out of our bodies," Johnson said. He described repeated instances of polystyrene debris — from cups and coolers to broken boogie boards — washing up on beaches and breaking into microplastics.
The ordinance text as read on the consent agenda specifies acceptance of $43,680.52 from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to the Waste Management Enterprise Fund in fiscal year 2024–25, and references state revenue adjustments in the parks and recreation operating budget; the reading also noted a decrease of $3,867.80 related to litter prevention and recycling within the parks budget. The appropriation was approved on the consent agenda alongside other items by a recorded 9–0 tally.
The item was handled as a consent agenda measure, so the council did not hold separate debate on the ordinance before voting. Supporters in public comment framed the ordinance as part of broader efforts to reduce plastic pollution on the city’s beaches; no opponents spoke on the item during the meeting.
The council approved the full consent agenda and a separate set of appointments later in the meeting, recording both votes as 9–0.
