Reinforcing The Message

Enforcing litter laws is an essential critical part of litter prevention. Research has found that people believe litterers should be penalised as part of the message that littering is not acceptable. Running an enforcement and education blitz is a powerful tool in your litter prevention strategy.

The enforcement blitz should be supported by a range of educational activities to educate people that dropping cigarette butts is littering, to inform them they can be fined and to highlight the size and range of the fines.

Historically not a major focus, enforcement is gaining momentum as the hip pocket is recognised as a powerful influence to modify behaviour. Enforcement sends the message that governments are serious about litter.

Littering offences were incorporated into the Environment Protection Act 1970 when the Litter Act 1987 was repealed in June 2002. This places litter in the State's premier piece of environmental legislation, thereby positioning it as a major environmental issue.

The Victorian legislation is unique in the role it affords concerned members of the public who witness littering. It also provides for increased enforcement by delegated litter enforcement officers from state and local authorities as well as reporting by members of the community.

Fining litterers is obviously about enforcement of the litter laws, however, it is also an educational tool because publicising the program highlights:

• The type of littering behaviours which may capture the attention of some smokers who did not realise they were littering, for example: it's so small, it'll biodegrade, it's not really litter
• The fact that ordinary people concerned about littering behaviour can do something by reporting litterers.  In this sense it can be seen as a call to action
• Presumably each person who is fined tells those around them that they were fined, increasing the educational messages, and we would hope that each person who is fined ceases their littering behaviour.