KEY POINTS:
Here is an earlier selection of Your Views:
Alice
Waitakere City Council actually have four full-time litter officers enforcing this. That is more litter officers than the rest of the other Auckland councils put together.
Bruce
I think the fine is about right. After all, cigarette butts come from smokers, who I've thought are litter bugs, when you get right down to it.
PD
All very well, but it is all just fluff and feathers from a council wanting to make it look like it is doing something unless it is stringently enforced. And I don't recall seeing too much of the latter.
Jason
All well and good, but who is going to enforce it? You only have to walk down Queen Street to see people dropping litter metres from a bin.Thing is you never see any beat cops or any other officials who would be able to enforce the fine.
I think a $100 fine would be sufficient deterrent if it was enforced. $400 is just another number, what difference does it make?
Simon,
If Manukau senior environmental analyst Patricia Facenfield really thinks that the higher fine will be "enough to deter" would-be litterers she is out of touch with reality. Most litterers probably don't even know the fine exists, so changing $100 to $400 will not alter their behaviour one bit.
Tim (Auckland)
I think this is fantastic. I spend a lot of time on the road and almost every single traffic light I pull up to, I see some "charming" person drop their cigarette out the window. To the person who stated there are not any ashtrays around, whether you are walking or in your car, it really isn't that difficult to find somewhere sanitary to dump your rubbish, cars have ashtrays for that matter.One issue I do see with this is, as many have brought up. Is the fact that the $$ amount for under 18's etc.. will not deter. What I do think will work is community service, cleaning up our motorways/streets or parks. That will make them think twice. And repeat offenders? Who knows a teenager who likes spending their weekends cleaning?
Neneil(Auckland)
Would be helpful if there were actually signs around the place warning about the $100 fine. Most people don't even know there's a fine in the first place, so making it higher won't do much good.
Nikki
I think that this is fair enough. I also think that alot of people won't be able to pay it so it will not stop them from littering. We have raised our son not to litter and he points out to us people who litter. He will even sometimes go as far as picking up other people's rubbish when he sees them drop it. He will look for a rubbish bin to throw his rubbish away or give it to us. It is disgusting when you see parents letting or even telling their children to drop their rubbish!!I think that you should be able to ring in when you see people throwing their rubbish from their cars as well. There is nothing more infuriating than following someone while they clear their car of rubbish as they drive. I have even seen it while behind someone stopped at a red light!No its fair enough something has to be done and this is a good start!
Simon (Auckland)
I totally agree with this. In fact we need a *555 number introduced to catch those littering from vehicles as well.The promotion of this litter issue is important as people and corporate's need to become more aware of their social corporate responsibility that they seem to talk about but do little to action it. Environmental issues like this are important. Do p[people know the facts that over 50 per cent of litter in NZ is cigarette butts that are not biodegrable as most people will think. Over 23 million butts hit our oceans and marine life each year in NZ, mainly through our storm water systems.Stop litter people.
Albert
Let me guess, most of these offenders can't afford the fines anyway, then what do you do next? Forget about the fines, make them sweep the streets, clear the graffiti, etc. this way, it will save ratepayers some of the $11m spent each year. oh yes, make sure each of them wears a vest to identify them, eg. "I'm a little bug".
Jack
Councils in the Auckland Region spend in excess of $11m per annum cleaning up litter and illegal dumping. Those funds are from the same rates money that we constantly complain about increasing. We have been paying for these people for long enough. $400 is not enough of an instant fine but its more than the courts usually impose when prosecutions are pursued for littering.
Rhea
Fair enough. My family live in a rural area, and on the drive out about half an hour from town the roadside is littered with KFC and McDonalds packaging. When you finish your dinner you just throw the rubbish out the car window aye? Cigarette butts out the car window are also a problem, we have had fires on the farm started by this. However, police revenue collection along with speeding tickets is going to be huge. I'd rather police were available to help me during a home invasion than out on womble duty.
Graham Hunter
Besides fining for litter they should also target spitting, this filthy habit is rampant throughout this country.
Nigel
The council should be fined themselves for the amount of crap we have to put up with.
Shep
About time! Good news. I am a tour coach driver and I don't believe how the litter problem has got out of control in NZ. Are our kids not taught that littering is bad. It has been my observation that it is usually McDonalds, Burger King etc that are just discarded out the car window. I am sure this shows that it is young offenders and those in a lower socio economic group. Good luck to Waitakere and Manukau City but I think they are going to be hard pressed getting $400 out of this lot, they are morons! Rotorua council should adopt this and use the money to clean up the Mamaku Ranges Road it is a disgrace. People of Rotorua should be ashamed.
Sid
Try being on a motorcycle when the driver in front flicks their cigarette out the window. Forget the fine if it's not going to be enforced. It's hard enough to get the cops to anything but armed robberies and speeding these days.
LV
Great idea. Too many people in NZ are just too lazy to walk a few metres to put their rubbish in a bin. Those who litter don't care about the planet nor the environment they just care about themselves. I just hope they target the filthy lazy inconsiderate smokers who drop their butts everywhere rather than disposing of them in the bin.
Michael
As a nation we talk about green this and green that but our attitude to littering our streets, and country side is disgusting. The fine should be higher and on the spot right throughout the country.
Kylie (Auckland)
I think $400 is kind of harsh. But I don't like to see litter either, so there has to be a deterrent. What I hope most of all, is that they use the money from these fines to provide more bins in public places. It's been so often that I have an empty wrapper or container from something I've eaten "on the go" and cannot find anywhere to dispose of it! And so it collects in my car, or in my handbag because of lack of bins, when you need a bin you can't find one!
Mel
Bring it on. I've just come back from Japan and despite the massive population, the streets are amazingly clean. It made a great change. However, while smokers flicking butts certainly isn't a pretty habit, I have to point out that since the smoking ban, very few bars/restaurants or companies bother to monitor their smoking areas much or provide sufficient ashtrays/sandboxes for smokers to put their butts in.
Blondcat
Yay bring on the fines! One morning, we (my nine-year-old daughter and I) witnessed people flicking cigarette butts out their car windows. We stopped counting in disgust after 8 cars. What message are these people sending our kids? Do they think the rest of us want to walk around in their filth? Why do cars have ashtrays for? The councils have our backing!
Tony Lee
Bring it on! I'm sick of having to walk through used condoms, condom wrappers, dumped clothing, rubbish and vomit/faecal matter as I walk to work. They have the cameras already so why not put them to work.
Manurewa Resident
I think it's a fabulous idea. Too long have our streets been used as a dumping ground for people who are in short too damn lazy to walk to a rubbish bin. It's long overdue and I think it should actually be $500. Its disgusting taking my kids for a walk and seeing people casually toss garbage out. We are supposed to have a green image and this helps enforce it. Make NZ citizens responsible for keeping it clean for all of us to enjoy.
Fady
What about people who throw cigarette butts from there cars? I think they should be fined and it would be great if some people in other vehicles can report on these people, so they know someone is watching.
Zpete (Mt Wellington)
Auckland City Council, pussy footing around, as usual. Show some guts, get tough on litterers. Auckland is one of the dirtiest cities around. Garbage bins everywhere, but ignored. Bangkok, garbage bins like hens teeth, but lots tidier than Auckland. Be like Singapore, max fine for anything, cigarette butts to bags of rubbish. The only way to clean up the city. Get with it Auckland councillors. Maybe the soft approach is because councillors are litter peoples too, not wanting to be caught.
Good in theory
As a smoker, there are very few ashtrays around, but due to these new fines I will no longer think twice about just throwing a lit cigarette butt in the normal bin. Don't want to litter, now, do we?
Rosemary
Of course there needs to be more of a deterrent for repeat offenders. However I was surprised to find out from my next door neighbour that I could be facing the same fine for not bringing in my rubbish bin the day after collection! I do feel leaving your (empty) rubbish bin out on the nature strip is a bit different to dropping cigarette butts and plastic packets and letting them drift away into our rivers.
Sceptical
Good luck on enforcing these fines. Most people are just too ignorant and will not stop littering. Hefty fines will mean nothing when they have no money. The majority of the litterers are under-18s, so what's the officer going to do? Nothing. $400 fines are just numbers. It won't stop the littering.
Bubkiwi
Fines okay, but more rubbish bins in public places might actually help (regularly emptied!) the bins need a metal tray for the ciggie butts too. Don't want bin fires now do we?
Dave
It will only be a deterrent if it is used frequently, as it was in Singapore when similar was first introduced there. We have heard of hundreds of "deterrents" in NZ but have actually seen no significant result. If it is not applied and made effective, we don't really care.
Sam (Sydney)
Litter is not like speeding, you can't accidentally litter. The offender knows they are doing it, knows it is wrong and doesn't care less. You can't stand at traffic lights for more than a few minute before someone throws something out a car window (usually a cigarette butt). No office block could be monitored for 10 minutes without someone dropping a butt.
Let's take this further, let the council employ extra staff with video cameras or give pensioners cameras to catch these people, I'll do it. The council would gather enough evidence to pay the wages and buy the cameras over a very short time. After a year or so we would have clean streets because once someone has been ticketed four or five $400 fines they will stop. Up the fine for major dumping and on charge the clean up cost.
Gary Stewart
Spot on!
'Bout Time
Yay! Finally these filthy pigs who drop cigarette butts (amongst other litter) are going to get dealt to with a decent fine. But what is Auckland City doing about this scourge? Overseas friends of mine have commented on how filthy Auckland CBD is (hardly 100 per cent Pure). One even said how NZ was really like Old MacDonald's Farm (and that Kiwis are the Pigs). One option is for the ACC to get tough and use Parking Wardens armed with wireless EFTPOS machines to impose instant fines. A tidy little earner. $100 is a reasonable behaviour modifier. Then, if the police are required to be called the fine goes up to $400 (to cover costs). I personally favour a combination of grabbing the discarded, but still lit, butt and stubbing it out by inserting it somewhere in one of the offender's orifice of choice. Then taking their photo and posting it on filthypig.com. So all you litterbugs out there, you have been forewarned by the councils to clean up your act.
Ray (Whangarei)
About time. They should also have a $1500 fine for those that spit on the pavement etc. The filthy beggars need to be taught a lesson. I wish the Whangarei city council had the guts to do the same thing.
Shelley (Pakuranga)
Why not give a $400 fine for those that throw cigarette butts? Smokers are one of the worst with a filthy habit of flicking butts where ever they choose, from gardens to footpaths, out their car window in particular. I'm sick of driving along and seeing someone throw rubbish out their window, or throwing it down on the street when walking. Why not impose higher fines as a better deterrent. These litter bugs deserve the fine. Keep New Zealand Green remember?
Kris
I'm surprised the Auckland City Council didn't seize on this as an opportunity to raise funds, especially on Queen Street with the majority of bins fenced off by the ever so efficient footpath widening crew.