The Act contains provisions for the:
The Act allows for KABC, local government, police and other litter enforcement agencies to take action against those who litter. This action can be in the form of 'on-the-spot fines', or as reports to the KABC which are followed up by fines being sent to the offenders. Not paying your fine can lead to court action or result in your fine being sent to the Fines Enforcement Registry which has the power to withdraw licences until the fine is paid. FAQs about infringements What is littering?Littering occurs where a person deposits any unwanted item or material on land or water. Fines for littering
***Examples include: Breaking glass, metal or earthenware , littering of car bodies and car parts, batteries, hazardous chemicals or medicines, fridges and freezers with doors attached, tyres, lit cigarettes and syringes. The maximum penalties for littering offences are $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for corporations, or in the case of offences against the litter regulations, $5,000 for both individuals and corporations. Illegal dumping may be prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, carrying a maximum penalty of $62,500 (individuals) and $125,000 (corporate bodies). Information for vehicle ownersIn cases of littering from vehicles, where neither the litterer nor the driver of the vehicle can be identified, the person responsible for the vehicle (usually the registered owner) will be deemed to have committed the offence and will have to pay the fine unless they can identify the offender. How can I be fined for littering? In Western Australia littering infringements can be issued by authorised officers that include: police officers, local government rangers and other officers employed by government departments that oversee the protection of the environment and waterways. KABC can issue infringements in response to litter reports submitted by community members who are registered litter reporters. More on the Litter Report Scheme. A few nights ago, I watched a channel 4 news piece on the fantastic beach clean organized by Surfers Against Sewage. The piece focused heavily on the responsibility of the brands who’s packaging was found on the beach, and specifically a focus on the plastic packaging. The focus on plastic was misleading as the quantity of aluminium cans shown was also huge, so the focus should be on “packaging” in general. In the piece the onus was put solely on the brands, and the factors which lead to littering were barely considered. The fact that the litter came from primarily “a dozen” brands is because these brands have that market share. When so few brands have own so much, of course the litter will come from their products. This is not news.  It’s important to remember what packaging is. It’s the means of getting the product to the consumer. The packaging is not the product, but without it the product cannot be sold and consumed. Brands make a lot of money from selling their product. If they cannot sell their product in a way that does not impact the environment, then should they be selling their product at all? If you look at other products, for example flexible PVC, cost effective stabilizers and plasticizers have been phased out as they are damaging to people and the environment. This no doubt hurt their bottom line, but there was no choice in the matter. The argument is then where to draw the line, as the production of most goods has a negative impact on the environment, we just don't see it day to day. With litter the issue goes much deeper A person decides to drop a bottle on the floor or leave a can on the beach. They have made the active decision to blight our landscape and harm the environment to avoid the mild inconvenience of holding onto their litter until they come to a bin. Personally, the concept baffles me. In this case is a lack of social responsibility, and therefore education to blame? And if so, who is responsible for this gap in our society? Education primarily comes from the state, and one could argue there is a serious shortcoming here. Another issue highlighted in the news piece was “overflowing bins”. Of all the problems this is surely the easiest to address. If a person cannot put something in the bin, there is a very real and physical barrier to them doing the right thing. Of course, this comes down to a lack of funding for local councils, who with more funding could install more bins and have them emptied more regularly. How is it a surprise when on the hottest day of the year, forecast with a weeks notice, there are overflowing bins in parks and public spaces? Why, for these days can we not provide temporary bins and increase emptying frequency – the answer is funding. So, if individuals are the ones who decide to litter from an absence of social responsibility, and government does not provide the funding for effectively collecting waste, what can the brands do? Should they carry the burden of cost for education and infrastructure? Yes, but it must be supported by government and society such that solutions have the desired impact. Extended Producer Responsibility can address these issues, if implemented correctly. And other initiatives like Deposit Return Scheme can help to influence peoples behaviour. But suggesting brands can and must solve the issue alone is not correct or helpful. A societal acceptance of littering must be addressed alongside all the other improvements we know are needed.
Whose responsibility is litter? The thrower-awayer of course... Personally I find it incredibly hard to understand why anyone would litter, it's something that I have never done, not even as a child or teenager. However, it would seem that sadly, plenty of others don't agree. But once the litter has been dropped then what? Does it become the Council's responsibility, the passer-by or people living locally? I strongly believe that green-living leads to happier lives and that this is linked to good mental health and caring communities. Broken Windows policies strongly suggest that if places are clean and tidy, they tend to stay that way. This is where you come in - What can you do about it? You could have a go at doing what I and plenty of others do. How you can help I usually carry a small bag with me and pick up bits of litter in our local nature reserve, on walks etc. It is a fairly unpleasant thing to do, but as long as you wash your hands afterwards, it's ok and it's better that these things are recycled (most of them tend to be cans, bottles etc) than left to pose a risk to wildlife or stay as a mark to others that it's ok to do the same.You are not alone You don't have to feel alone, there is a really good app called Litterati where you can photograph and upload the picture to a worldwide map which documents the location, date and brand where indicated. There's an interesting story to the app's creation and it has also served to help in court cases against litter louts and help to force particularly 'litter likely' brands to clean up. Social Media Social media is good for 'outing' companies whose products seem to be so prone to be flung from car windows or dropped on the street. Recently there was a call to send photographs of Coca Cola bottles and cans in situ, (then collected and recycled). Here's one I found when I was out on my bike.
Organised litter picks If you feel more comfortable, you can go on an organised litter pick with a group such as Friends of The Earth or Campaign to Protect Rural England. Find your local groups here FoE and here Litteraction. It's a good idea to wear old clothes and a pair of strong gloves. I like to wear wellies too. We have a bag for recyclables, a bin bag and quite often we find several items for reuse, (plant pots, watering cans etc). Before and after photos help to show that the effort is worthwhile. Here is a photo of some of what we collected on the last FoE litter pick I went on.
Solo litter picking Here's a solo litter pick that I did when walking home from a lovely walk with friends. I was carrying a bucket that had been used for something else and on the way home I saw a bottle top, then another, then a can, a bottle... by the time I got home (about one and a half miles), I had nearly filled the bucket!
Danger to animals Did you know that the RSPCA receive thousands of calls each year relating to animals and incidents with litter? A variation on a well-known rhyme "See the litter, pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck" Notice the irony in this photo below?!
Famous Litter Pickers Author David Sedaris gives several hilarious accounts of his litter picking in Sussex The Guardian: David Sedaris. He is one determined person to clean up the area in which he lives. The council have even dedicated a bin lorry to him! And who could forget the The Wombles? Sometimes people say to me, "Why should I pick up someone else's rubbish?" and I usually say something along the lines of, 'Maybe this person isn't leading a very happy life, maybe nobody has ever told them that it's not a good thing to do, that it hurts our wildlife, domestic pets and natural surroundings.' You or I can 'Be the change'. Too often in our society, we just assume a problem is someone else's responsibility. It probably isn't your job to pick up litter, but if we all spent a little time doing jobs that no one wants to, then the world would be a better place. Another example would be taking your rubbish home from a weekend away Quick Green Tip for the Weekend Trip by doing something which takes barely any effort, you can have a big impact on the world as well as on your own happiness. Several times, I have picked up some litter and the person / people with me have then done the same. Perhaps someone else notices and picks something up next time they see some litter. Lastly, Please, Please pick up the plastic that holds cans of beer (see below) and cut them so they are no longer whole - these are really dangerous for hedgehogs and birds, as are rubber bands.
|
Who is responsible of littering?
zusammenhängende Posts
Urheberrechte © © 2024 frojeostern Inc.
