Virginia Imported More Trash in 2010

The Commonwealth collects trash, and a lot of it.

A new report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality says Virginia amassed 5.5 million tons of trash from 24 states and several countries, including Mexico and Canada.

State environmental official reported the state's imports of out-of-state waste increased by 6 percent last year.

This is a reversal of a trend, the Virginia-Pilot reported: Virginia had been decreasing the amount of garbage it took from other states since 2006.

Virginia's good neighbors contributed a hefty load to the total: 2 million tons from Maryland and a million tons from the District.

The report credited five jurisdictions with 97.53% of all waste out-of-state waste: Maryland (39.38%); New York (26.96%); Washington, D.C. (19.76%); North Carolina (7.43%); and New Jersey (4.00%).

Virginia is the second-leading importer of trash in the country, behind Pennsylvania.