Islanders who toss litter out their car window could face a fine of anywhere from $200 to $1,000. That is the message law enforcement officers were asked to deliver as part of a litter blitz last week.
Minister of Environment Chester Gillan said provincial enforcement officers in the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment, as well as other law enforcement officers throughout the province, have been asked to crack down on litterbugs as part of the provincial litter awareness campaign.
"While Prince Edward Island still enjoys a reputation as a clean province, many people believe it is not as clean as it once was," said Minister Gillan. "We want to do something about that, and Islanders have been telling us that enforcement is an important part of the solution. They believe the only way some people will get the message is with a fine."
Minister Gillan said law enforcement agencies were provided with kits that included facts on the environmental impacts of littering, and the various littering offences and penalties, as well as materials officers can hand out to motorists - car litter bags and wallet-size litter pledge cards to serve as a reminder not to litter.
"Along with keeping an eye out for litterbugs, officers took the opportunity during road checks that were set up in some communities to remind motorists that tossing trash out the car window is not only unacceptable, but illegal," said Minister Gillan.
There are seven provincial acts under which littering charges can be laid, and many municipalities have anti-littering bylaws in place. In addition to throwing garbage from a vehicle, offences include not properly securing a load, littering while fishing, littering on the Confederation Trail, and leaving litter on trespassed property. As well as fines, some littering offences carry other penalties including a loss of points on a driver's licence and a one-year suspension of a fishing licence.
According to a provincial litter survey carried out this past spring, cigarette butts and food containers from takeout restaurants are the most common litter items on Prince Edward Island roadsides. Minister Gillan said while most smokers don't even think of cigarette butts as litter, they are actually one of the more harmful items of litter. In addition to causing injury to wildlife and birds that mistake them as food, cigarette butts are often washed into waterways where the toxic chemicals, which the cigarette filter was designed to trap, leak out into aquatic ecosystems.
A joint effort of provincial government agencies, private sector organizations and other interested groups, the Prince Edward Island litter awareness campaign encourages Islanders and visitors to "Keep the Island clean. Put litter in its place." It focuses on three key areas: public awareness, community involvement and enhanced enforcement. Islanders can find out more about the campaign at a display that is touring the province with the assistance of volunteers from organizations such as the Federated Women's Institute of Prince Edward Island. The display will be at the Downeast Mall in Montague November 15-16 and shopping centres in other communities in coming weeks.
The Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment has a variety of materials available on litter prevention including fact sheets, pledge cards, posters, bookmarks and litter bags. For further information on litter prevention, or to report an incident of littering, call the litter hotline at 1-866-368-5024.
Backgrounder
What is litter?
Whenever waste is not properly disposed of, it is considered litter. It includes everything from a wrapper tossed out a car window or a piece of paper dropped on a walking trail, to a bag of trash dumped on the roadside, construction debris flying off the back of a truck, or a cigarette butt flicked on the sidewalk.
Why is litter a concern?
Litter spoils that natural beauty of Prince Edward Island. However, its negative impacts can go well beyond aesthetics.
- Items such as syringes or hazardous materials pose a threat to public health.
- Litter can cause injury to wildlife and birds that mistake it for food.
- Litter in an urban setting can attract vermin.
- Old fishing line, rope, nets or wire can trap land or marine life.
- Wind and rain can carry cigarette butts into the waterways where the toxic chemicals that the cigarette filter was designed to trap leak out into aquatic ecosystems.
- Cigarette butts can also be the cause of fires.
- Litter is wasteful. Many littered items could be recycled or reused.
What are the penalties for littering?
Littering is not only unacceptable, it is illegal. There are seven provincial acts alone under which littering charges can be laid. As well, many municipalities have anti-littering bylaws in place.
- Under the Highway Traffic Act, the minimum fine for littering highways is $200. Shifting or leaking loads or loads not securely fastened can result in fines and points lost on a driver's licence.
- A person or corporation can be charged with littering under the Environmental Protection Act. An individual charged under the act faces a minimum $200 fine to a maximum $1,000 fine. The act also allows for higher fines for corporations - $1,000 minimum to $50,000 maximum.
- A person who litters while angling can be charged under the Wildlife Conservation Act Angling Regulations. The fine is the same as that under the Environmental Protection Act. However, the more severe punishment may be the automatic one-year suspension of a fishing licence.
- Under the Trails Act, a person who leaves garbage or other material on the trail faces a minimum $200 fine and a maximum of $1,000.
- A person who dumps or deposits material on trespassed property can be charged under the Trespass to Property Act. The minimum fine is $100 and the maximum $500.
- The Roads Act covers off areas adjacent to highways. A charge of placing rubbish at or near a highway carries a $50 fine.
- Under the Unsightly Premises Act, environment officers may order a person to clean up litter with failure to do so resulting in a fine of $200 per day.