By Charlene Gatt
NEARLY 4500 litterbugs driving through the West have been fined for throwing rubbish out of car windows in the last two financial years.
Figures released by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) showed 4400 offences had been reported in between July 2009 and June 2011, with drivers going through Brimbank (1331 fines) and Hobsons Bay (1327) the worst offenders.
There were also 981 drivers fined for littering in Wyndham, 509 in Maribyrnong and 252 in Melton.
Litterers were slammed with a $244 fine for throwing a lit cigarette or food packaging out of their car windows, with a maximum fine of $4884.60 for any matters dealt with in court.
The reporting program was the first of its type in Australia and allows members of the public to report those they see littering from motor vehicles to the EPA.
The EPA has issued close to 90,000 fines for littering in the past five years.
EPA spokesperson Ruth Ward said the actual offenders often lived outside of the municipality.
“The stats don’t indicate how littered an area is, rather they relate to traffic numbers and people’s willingness to report litterers,” she said.
EPA environmental services director Chris Webb said the figures showed members of the public did not support littering and were keen to keep people accountable for their actions.
“Each year we find the majority of those relate to tossing cigarette butts from cars,” Mr Webb said.
“Food packaging and beverage containers are also regularly reported.
“Litter is everyone’s problem and the Litter Report Line provides and important avenue for the community to take action.”
To report someone littering from a vehicle, call 1300 372 842. You will need the registration number of the offending driver, a description of the vehicle, and the date, time and location it happened.
