No butts about it
03 Jun 2010
Under a new “Butt it and Bin it” operation by the City of Melbourne, Docklands smokers have been warned that they will face hefty fines if found littering cigarette butts.
Smokers found littering a burning cigarette will face a $234 on-the-spot fine and those found discarding an extinguished cigarette will face a $117 fine.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said there was no excuse for those who insisted on using our city as a giant ashtray.
“We want Melbourne to be enjoyed by everyone and that means tackling the 10,500 cigarette butts we clean off the streets every day,” the Lord Mayor said.
He said litterers must take responsibility for their cigarette butts.
“We provide nearly 3000 bins so that smokers can discard their cigarette butts responsibly,” he said.
The first “Butt it and Bin it” campaign was launched in May 2009 and the Lord Mayor pointed out in early February that the amount of smokers issued with fines had dropped from 11 per cent to 4 per cent during that period.
According to the City of Melbourne, cigarette butts are Australia’s number one cause of litter, accounting for 16 per cent of all rubbish.
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