A Craigieburn man likely didn’t realise he made a donation to support Country Fire Authority (CFA) when he dropped a lit cigarette from his Land Rover onto the Western Freeway at Caroline Springs.
A witness reported seeing the man drop the burning cigarette butt from the Landrover Discovery on Saturday, September 16, 2023.
As a result, the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) issued a fine. However, the man decided to take the case to the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court where he entered a guilty plea.
The magistrate found the charge of unlawfully depositing dangerous litter was proven, but did not record a conviction on the condition that the man makes a $250 donation to the CFA.
EPA said cigarette buds were the most common litter, and that they were recognised as a cause of grass and bushfires.
EPA also identified that lit cigarettes had the same risk to people’s homes and safety as intentional fires, and even if it doesn’t start a fire, they often find their way through drains into local waterways.
People can report littering from vehicles on the EPA Victoria website: epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/report-litter-from-vehicles.
