The bill now makes criminal littering a Class B misdemeanor rather than Class C, doubles the fine to $500 for the first offense and increases subsequent fines up to $3,000 or 100 hours of community service, returns some of the fines to local municipalities for enforcement and to educate the public about litter; adds plastics, cigarettes, cigars, containers of urine, food containers and tires to the list of things considered litter; and expands protection against littering into all rivers, lakes and territorial waters.
The bill now makes criminal littering a Class B misdemeanor rather than Class C, doubles the fine to $500 for the first offense and increases subsequent fines up to $3,000 or 100 hours of community service, returns some of the fines to local municipalities for enforcement and to educate the public about litter; adds plastics, cigarettes, cigars, containers of urine, food containers and tires to the list of things considered litter; and expands protection against littering into all rivers, lakes and territorial waters.
Lake Martin Resource Association’s John Thompson hopes new teeth added to the state’s criminal littering law helps prevent trash being thrown out on the waterways and roadways of Alabama.
“We have always had an anti-littering law,” Thompson said. “It has always been on the books. There was just not much penalty with it so it never got any attention.”
