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If you have visited the Medical Center cafeterias lately, you might have noticed a few changes. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam recently signed an executive order that prohibits the use of single-use plastic, and UVA Health has stepped up to the challenge.

The order requires all state agencies, including UVA, to stop buying, selling, and distributing single-use plastic and polystyrene food service containers, single-use plastic straws and cutlery, disposable plastic bags, and single-use plastic water bottles by Wednesday, July 21. The order also calls for agencies to phase-out the use of all other single-use plastics by 2025. 

“We are pleased and honored to be a partner with our fellow state agencies in doing the right thing to create a clean environment and reduce waste,” says Bush Bell, Administrator, Hospitality and Support Services.

Look for these changes next time you visit the cafes:

• Plastic bottled water will be replaced with aluminum cans. Free water is available from the fountain machines.
• All cutlery, straws, and containers used in the packaging of food will be compostable.
• Single-use plastic bags will be replaced with paper or other compostable bags.
• Compost collection containers will be available soon for use in the cafes.

The transition from single-use plastics to sustainable versions is occurring gradually as current supplies are exhausted.

“As we’ve been using up the prohibited plastics, we have been replacing them with the approved, compostable products,” says Bell.

There are exceptions for healthcare areas, so team members many see plastic or polystyrene in use in the cafes or patient care areas where it is necessary for patient and team member safety.

For more information on Executive Order 77, visit the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s website. For UVA-specific questions, contact the Executive Order 77 Working Group by sending any questions, concerns, or ideas to sustainability@virginia.edu.