A FRANKSTON man has been ordered to pay $500 towards environmental projects after he tossed a burning cigarette butt from a car in Tyabb. A witness reported seeing the man throw the burning cigarette from the window of a Mitsubishi Lancer travelling along Coolart Road just after midnight on 31 August last year.
The state’s environmental watchdog EPA Victoria says cigarette butts are the most common type of litter, often ending up in Port Phillip through drains and waterways. Lit cigarettes could also cause bushfires if they land among grass or bush. Coolart Road, Tyabb, runs through a mixed farming and rural residential area with stands of native bush.
Having received a fine from EPA, the man took the case to the Frankston Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully depositing dangerous litter. The magistrate found the charge proven but did not record a conviction. Instead, the man was ordered to pay $500 to the EPA Restorative Project account, which supports environmental projects often run by community volunteers.
Littering from vehicles can be reported on the website: epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/report-litter-from-vehicles
First published in the Frankston Times – 20 August 2024