On-The-Spot Litter Fines Will Be Increasing Very Soon

You can say goodbye to a couple of nights out if you get caught.

Fines for on-the-spot littering are set to increase from €150 to €250 in an attempt to crack down on cigarette butt littering.

It comes as a new report from the Government shows that cigarettes account for 56% of litter on Irish streets.

According to Newstalk, the second largest group of litter is packaging items such as paper, bottles, caps, cardboard, glass and cans at 17%.

Food-related litter comes in third place.

Pedestrians are the worst culprits for littering at 42%, followed by motorists at 19% and retailers at 10%.

It comes on the back of Dublin residents calling for a ban on drinking near the canal as well as a nationwide ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas.

However, the report also shows that 15.6% of areas surveyed were litter free, an increase of 2.4% when compared to 2016 results and the second highest results ever achieved.

Commenting on the report, Minister Naughten said: "Each of us has personal responsibility and a role to play in keeping the towns, villages and cities we live in litter free. Smokers in particular can bring about a significant improvement in the litter situation through relatively minor behavioural changes. Everyone must accept that, ultimately, it is their own actions that will ensure whether or not we live in a litter free environment."

He added: "Cigarette butts are still a continuing form of litter that needs to be addressed...Because of that now we're going to increase the on-the-spot litter fine from €150 to €250 for someone caught throwing litter on the ground."

Be sound and don't litter, lads.