By Ben Cameron
More than half of all litter reports in Brimbank last summer involved residents discarding lit cigarettes, according to the Environmental Protection Authority.
Brimbank litterbugs attracted the third- highest number of reports (387) during the EPA’s summer campaign, which ran from December 1 to March. This was behind only Hobsons Bay (623) and Melbourne City (514). No less than 59 per cent of reports involved a discarded, lit cigarette.
Reports increased almost 25 per cent on the previous campaign which yielded 314 reports during the 2012-13 summer period.
An EPA spokesperson said the results did not necessarily make Brimbank the “third-dirtiest” council in Victoria, but they showed it had many residents who were litter-conscious.
The EPA’s acting chief executive officer, Katrina McKenzie, said lit butts were mostly thrown from moving vehicles in Brimbank.
“We also learned that people [across the state] predominantly throw litter from their vehicle [84 per cent] as opposed to dropping it to the ground as they get in or out of their vehicle,” she said.
There are hefty penalties for litter bugs, with a $288.72 fine imposed for a small piece of rubbish or unlit cigarette, up to $577.44 for a lit cigarette.
You can report litter by calling the EPA
24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 372 842.
