Whakatāne District Council now has the ability to issue a $200 or $400 fine for litter bugs.
At last week’s full council meeting, councillors voted to implement an infringement regime for illegally dumped rubbish.
Local councils are allowed to issue fines of up to $400 under the Litter Act 1979, however, it requires the council to resolve to adopt an infringement regime.
Until now, the only powers council officers in Whakatāne had to penalise people for fly tipping was to file charges through the district court.
While this could result in a fine of up to $5000, it took up staff time and legal expenses, making it suitable only for the most serious offences.
At a meeting of the council’s infrastructure and planning committee last month, a blanket fine of $200 was suggested to committee members.
During discussion, it was suggested that a larger fine be made available to staff for repeat offenders or for larger-scale offences.
A larger fine for a repeat offender was much easier to distinguish.
A $200 fine for a first offence, whether litter is deposited in a public or a private place without the owner’s consent, was recommended and voted for by councillors, along with a $400 fine for a second offence.
A $200 fine could also be issued for failure to comply with an officer’s direction to clean up litter.
Credit: sunlive.co.nz
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