A proposed change to increase maximum littering fines from $400 to $1,000 has passed its first hurdle in Parliament, with environmentalists welcoming the possible change.
Be A Tidy Kiwi's Richard Leckinger said on TVNZ1's Breakfast today, "right now you can be fined up to $7,500 as an individual for littering or smashing a bottle, but you have to go through the courts".
He said a ticket however was only up to a maximum of $400.
"Councils are in a bind" whether to take the issue to court, or fine $400 "and walk away from actually a big issue", Mr Leckinger said.
He said many councils were under pressure and did not have many litter enforcement officers, and the point of the bill was "to make it easier for councils to get out there and enforce the law".
He said illegal dumping and littering are the "same thing" under the Act, but he did not think they were the same behaviour.
"They're very different, throwing a cigarette butt out your window is very different from throwing a couch out your ute."
The bill, lodged by National MP Scott Simpson, would change the Litter Act 1979 to increase the maximum a person could be fined. It is currently at Select Committee stage.
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