‘Fine’s not enough’

Fines paid under the Litter Act are not enough to cover expenses incurred by municipal council that have to clear up rubbish left behind by individuals or companies that break the law.

Lautoka City Council senior health inspector Salen Singh said municipal councils were usually the ones left to clean up the waste and had to foot the bill of each exercise.

“One of the problems that we face is when we collect the litter after a fine has been paid,” he said.

“The fine under the Act is just $40 and that is imposed on individuals and for companies, and it is left with us to clear up the rubbish.

“It becomes very costly for us to go to where the litter is and to collect it.

“For example, when an individual doesn’t dispose their cigarette butts properly, that is a fine of $40 and when a company dumps their rubbish indiscriminately the fine is also $40. “The amount of waste they discharge improperly is imposed with the same fine under the Act.

“$40 is not enough to cover the cost of sending our staff and resources to collect the litter.”

Mr Singh said municipal councils such as Lautoka and Nadi were affected by this.

“For instance for Nadi, when the individual or company pay a fine it will cost the council about $300 to cover the costs of clearing up that rubbish.

“So that $40 is not enough for them.”

He said the Environment Department should review the fines under the Litter Act to ensure it was enough to cover their expenses.