Calls to increase fines for littering

Calls to increase fines for littering

Flicking a cigarette butt or coffee cup to the kerb could cost you dearly if one National MP has his way.

Councils around the country are spending millions cleaning up after litterbugs, prompting calls to more than double fines for dumping junk.

In Auckland alone, litter clean-up costs almost $5 million a year. That doesn't include roadside dump and runs.

"Illegal dumping costs ratepayers just over $1 million a year to clean up," says Waste Solutions manager Ian Stupple.

At the moment careless discarding of a cigarette butt or any rubbish could cost you a fine of up to $400. But National's Jono Naylor wants a law change to bump that up to $1000.

"We need to make sure it is a big enough disincentive for people to chuck rubbish away," he says.

But culprits are hard to identify.

The simple advice is to just use the bins.

Watch the video for the full 3 News report.