The Melbourne Magistrates' Court has fined a Dandenong North man $200 for each of two cigarettes he dropped in the street.
Walimuni Dewage Karunathilake pleaded guilty to two charges of depositing litter, contrary to s.45E(1)(a) of the Environment Protection Act 1970 ("the Act"), and was fined a total of $400.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) charged the man after a member of the public reported the littering, using the EPA Report Litter app on a smart phone.
The offences took place on Saturday night, 8 June 2019, on High Street, Windsor, where a witness saw a male driver smoking outside his vehicle. The witness saw the man drop a lit cigarette butt onto the footpath, then a few minutes later drop another one before getting into his car and driving away.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Discarded cigarette butts pollute Victoria's roadsides, many find their way into nearby waterways, and any burning cigarette butt creates a fire hazard.
The guilty plea meant the witness who reported the littering did not have to provide evidence in court, but in reporting the offence, he volunteered to do so if it was required.
There's information on the EPA Report Litter app and links to download sites on the EPA website, here: epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/litter-from-vehicles/report-littering
EPA issued more than 13,000 infringement notices for littering, last financial year.
