Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) handed out more than $6.5 million in fines to more than 15,000 Victorians during the 2015-16 financial year for discarding litter from their vehicles.
EPA’s public litter reporting service, established in 2002, was the first of its kind in Australia. It enables members of the public to report people who throw litter from a Victorian-registered motor vehicle to EPA Victoria.
About 60 per cent of offenders reported were male, with the most common names being Michael, David and John respectively. The top reporters of littering to EPA were also Michael and David, who were joined by Andrew in the top three, while John was fifth.
Altona, Melbourne and Altona North were the top three suburbs where littering offences occurred, but EPA data shows offenders don’t necessarily litter in their own backyards, as the top three areas where they were from was Craigieburn, Werribee and Reservoir.
Drivers of Holden, Toyota and Ford vehicles were identified as the biggest culprits during 2015-16, while more than 75 per cent of reports made by the public to EPA were for people discarding cigarettes from their vehicles.
Members of the public can report litterers to EPA either by downloading the EPA Victoria app to their smartphone, by visiting or by calling 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842).
People will need the following information when reporting:
- Who? Car details, registration number, colour, whether it was the driver or passenger, gender of litterer
- What? Lit or unlit cigarette or a description of the litter item
- When? Exact time and date of offence
- Where? Where was the car, what road was it travelling on, in which suburb? What intersection was closest?
- How? How was the litter deposited – was it thrown from vehicle, dropped before exiting vehicle or dropped before getting into a car?
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“It doesn’t matter what your name is, the car you drive or the suburb you live in: we all have a responsibility to keep Victoria beautiful.”
“More than 75 per cent of reports made to EPA were for people discarding cigarettes from their cars, which equates to more than 10,000 cigarette butts that have been thoughtlessly thrown onto Victorian streets in the last year alone.”
“Victoria’s total litter count is 47 per cent lower than the national average but we need to stay vigilant to stay a national leader.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020