Virginia · VA · Food & drink
Virginia: Is there a bottle deposit?
No bottle deposit
Virginia has no bottle deposit law, and state law blocks local governments from requiring container deposits.
No state law puts a refundable deposit on drink containers in Virginia. A state law dating to 1987 overrides any local ordinance that requires a deposit on disposable containers, so cities and counties cannot create one. Deposit bills have been proposed, such as HB 826 in 2022. The no-deposit answer is inferred from the absence of a deposit statute.
What the law says
The provisions of this article shall supersede and preempt any local ordinance which attempts to regulate the size or type of any container or package containing food or beverage or which requires a deposit on a disposable container or package.
Sources
- Va. Code § 10.1-1425 Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
- Va. Code Title 10.1, Ch. 14, Art. 3 (Litter Control and Recycling) Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
- NCSL: State Beverage Container Deposit Laws Secondary · ncsl.org
- Rhode Island Legislative Council: Beverage Container Laws Overview (2023), lists the ten deposit states Official · rilegislature.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
- Website
- deq.virginia.gov
How bordering states compare
- Kentucky No bottle depositKentucky has no bottle deposit law; there is no refundable deposit on beverage containers.
- Maryland No bottle depositMaryland has no bottle deposit law; deposit bills have been filed every year since 2023 but have not passed.
- North Carolina No bottle depositNorth Carolina has no bottle deposit law. Instead, bars and restaurants with alcohol permits must recycle their beverage containers.
- Tennessee No bottle depositTennessee has no bottle deposit law, so drink containers carry no refundable deposit.
- West Virginia No bottle depositWest Virginia has no state bottle deposit law, so cans and bottles carry no refundable deposit.