Legislation & Enforcement

Enforcing litter laws is a critical part of litter prevention. Research has found that people believe litterers should be prosecuted as part of the message that littering is harmful to the environment.

Enforcement has not always been a consistently high priority for local government, state agencies like the EPA or public land managers. We need to change this reality to improve the impact of litter prevention programs. While enforcement is not the primary focus of a program we need to at least have it included as a key element. The hip pocket is a powerful influence on behaviour and enforcement sends a message that governments are serious about litter.

Victoria's litter legislation is unique in Australia because members of the public can report car litterers to EPA Victoria. Litterers are then fined. To make a report, you must record details of the vehicle registration number, make, model, colour and type of vehicle, as well as all details of the location where the littering occurred, including the street, suburb, nearest cross street, time and date. You must also be prepared to attend court as a witness if required. You can obtain a form by calling EPA's litter line on 1800 352 555, download a form or register to make reports on line on the EPA Victoria website. Keep copies of the form in the glove box of your car so you can fill them out on the spot.

Reporting of litterers continues to rise rapidly in recent years:

• Over 18,000 fines issued in 2003/2004, up 30 per cent from the previous year
• Nearly 13,000 fines issued in 2002/03, a jump of 60 per cent from the previous year. 

Over 90% of the fines are for cigarette butts! 

Making reports is one way that people can do something about litter.

You can promote the EPA report line through your council as part of your program, or you could run your own litter report line for your municipality. The $205 fine collected would fund the administration of the report line and any extra funds could be allocated to your litter prevention program. See Running a Staff Litter Report Program in this section.