A Wantirna man who dropped a cigarette butt in Scoresby has found smoking far more expensive than expected after a trip to Ringwood Magistrates’ Court.
In fact the cigarette butt, weighing just one fifth of a gram, cost him more than its weight in gold.
The man pleaded not guilty to a charge of depositing litter, contrary to Section 45E(1) of the Environment Protection Act, and escaped conviction, but the Magistrate fined him and ordered him to pay for the cost of the prosecution.
The fine was $300, a little less than the standard on-the-spot fine for littering, but Environment Protection Authority Victoria’s (EPA) court costs added up to another $2,258.
The man had been reported to EPA by a member of the public after he dropped the cigarette butt from his car in Scoresby, on 15 January 2020.
