Coffee is expensive, when you litter

Tossing a disposable cup and lid into the street has cost a local man a considerable amount of money, compared to the refreshment he purchased.

In December last year, a witness reported a car’s number plate to EPA Victoria after seeing him throw the cup out the window in morning Ballarat traffic.

The Lal Lal man will now have to pay $540 in fine and court costs.

He failed to appear when the case came up at Ballarat Magistrate’s Court. He was fined $200 without conviction and ordered to pay $340 in court costs to EPA Victoria.

Unlawfully depositing litter is an offence under Section 115 of the Environment Protection Act 2017, and EPA typically issues around 13,000 litter fines a year, many of them for small items such as food containers or cigarette butts.

Members of the public can report litter and other forms of pollution by calling EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or providing details online via their website epa.vic. gov.au and search report pollution.