MASSIVE fines will be handed out to those who choose not to dispose of their rubbish properly under strict new laws.
Americans will be hit with whopping fines of $1,000 if they are not careful about where they get rid of their waste – and the new rules are already in force.
The strict new laws are already in place in one state as authorities aim to crackdown on the “millions of pieces of litter” they have to pick up every year.
Louisiana will no longer allow people to drop rubbish wherever with the introduction of the new enforcement law which is already in place.
“We have a very dirty state, and if you keep your pedal on the gas for the next five years, we can clean up this state, and I’m telling you we’re making progress,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, who added that the tougher penalties have been put in place to “lessen their workload.”
He added that crews have been picking up “millions of pieces” every year and it has to stop.
Now, the state has sent out 870 letters last year warning people not to litter and if they are caught they will receive a ticket and a fine through the post or on the spot.
And they are urging people to tattle on those whom you may see dropping litter.
“If you report someone littering, you sign an affidavit, don’t worry, they won’t know you reported them, and they’re going to get a ticket in the mail,” Nungesser said.
To report any potential littering violations, you can call the anti-litter hotline at 855-LA-Litter.
Tickets could cost anywhere from $175 to $1,000, plus court costs.
Americans who repeatedly litter will also be sent on eight hour litter abatement work program courses.
He said simple littering, such as trash flying out the back of a pickup truck, carries up to $175 in fines while intentional littering is a heavier fine.
This includes scenarios such as deliberately throwing trash out of a window onto a roadway and will bring a $250 fine.
Gross littering, such as depositing large amounts of trash into a ditch or having an illegal dumpsite, carries $500 to $1,000 in fines.
The fine system was put in action two weeks ago, and since then there are already 15 cases scheduled for the litter court in September.
Nungesser said the state is also beefing up education and awareness.
“We’ve got new booklets we give out to all the schools to teach litter in the schools; we’ve got a new video when you get your driver’s license, there are questions on the test about litter,” Nungesser said.
He is also looking at launching a new initiative which has not been given the green light yet which would see private companies step in to ‘adopt a highway’.
They would pay for a crew to clean up a section of the interstate in exchange for a billboard sponsorship, taking responsibility for keeping it clean.
“We can clean up every interstate for once a month with private money if this is successful, so I’m really encouraged that it will give us the tools we need to keep the interstates clean,” Nungesser said.
The effort is aimed at stopping the state from paying to clean up the same messes.
“I look forward to a day we don’t have to spend $100 million a year cleaning up the state, we can spend that money on better things,” Nungesser added.
