Cans, bottles, tissues: such waste is often thrown out of car windows. Italy wants to put an end to this and is therefore introducing drastic fines for litter thrown on the road: up to 18,000 euros and even imprisonment.
Italy is determined to take strict measures against littering and is now drastically increasing fines for offenders.
Draconian measures
From now on, anyone who illegally throws waste out of their car will have to pay hefty fines. According to the regulation, which has now come into force, in extreme cases the fine can reach 18,000 euros - for example, if the driver throws a bag of garbage out of the window of his car onto the street or the side of the road.
Fines of up to 1,188 euros are now imposed for cigarette butts, tissues and plastic bottles thrown out of the car. And if the driver throws his waste into a nature reserve or other protected environment, he can face the withdrawal of his driving license and even imprisonment.
It does not matter whether the car is stopped or moving. Also, unlike before, offenders no longer have to be caught and stopped by the police at the moment of committing the violation. In the future, it will be enough for the violation to be captured on a surveillance camera, and there are plenty of such cameras in Italy.
The fines also apply to tourists
With the new regulation, Italy wants to tackle an old problem: waste is often simply thrown out on the street in the country. The problem exists both in cities and on rural roads and highways.
The new regulation also applies to all foreign tourists.