The U.K. government has announced that the maximum fine for littering will almost double to £150 ($197.52) from April 2018.
As well as being an unsightly nuisance, disposing of trash in public places also has a significant financial impact. In an announcement Tuesday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said that cleaning garbage from the streets and countryside costs British taxpayers nearly £800 million per year.
DEFRA said it hoped the new maximum on-the-spot fine would both deter and punish "the anti-social minority who continue to drop rubbish."
In addition to the maximum fine increasing from £80 to £150, the minimum fine will rise from £50 to £65. The default fine – which is used when a council does not specify the monetary amount – will hit £100, up from £75.
It is not just people dropping trash while walking who are being targeted. Local councils will also have the power to fine vehicle owners if they can prove litter was thrown from their car, even if someone else dumped the garbage.
"Littering blights our communities, spoils our countryside and taxpayers' money is wasted cleaning it up," environment minister Thérèse Coffey said in a statement.
"Throwing rubbish from a vehicle is just as unacceptable as dropping it in the street and we will tackle this antisocial behaviour by hitting litter louts in the pocket."
