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High-school students urge Albemarle supervisors to back a statewide bottle-deposit bill; Board adds it to legislative priorities
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Summary
Two county high-school seniors asked supervisors to support a statewide bottle-deposit (container deposit) bill to curb litter and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from virgin plastics and aluminum production. After public comment, the Board agreed to add the matter to its upcoming legislative agenda.
Two Monticello High School seniors told the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors on April 15 that a statewide bottle-deposit (container deposit) law would reduce litter in waterways and help meet county recycling and climate goals.
"A bottle deposit bill would protect and help protect natural ecosystems and preserve biodiversity within them," Griffin Burn, a Samuel Miller District resident and Monticello High senior, said in public comment, describing volunteer river cleanups. Another student speaker stressed the bill’s potential to reduce production of virgin plastic and lower greenhouse-gas emissions associated with beverage containers.
Board members thanked the students for their testimony and asked staff to include support for a Virginia bottle-deposit bill among the Board’s legislative priorities. Supervisor Ann Malek noted the proposal’s alignment with the county’s comprehensive plan and climate and materials-management goals.
The Board’s decision was procedural: staff will add the bottle-deposit item to the board’s legislative list for the coming General Assembly work and report back as part of the Board’s regular legislative-review process.
The students’ remarks, and the Board’s agreement to include the bill on the legislative list, signal local elected support for a container-deposit approach intended to reduce litter, recover recycling value and incentivize community recycling efforts.
