NSW EPA encourages residents to ‘Report a Tosser’

With the help of New South Wales residents, the state’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued more than 57,000 fines to litterers since the launch of a targeted campaign.

The ‘Report a Tosser’ program was started in 2015 to combat littering from vehicles.

Now the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) together with Blacktown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, The Hills Shire, and Parramatta councils, is encouraging its residents to take part in the initiative.

Brad Bunting, President of WSROC said Western Sydney councils spend $31 million a year managing litter.

“That’s an avoidable cost our communities are forced to bear because of careless behaviour,” said Bunting.

“That’s money councils could be spending on fixing footpaths, upgrading parks, or improving local facilities, instead, it’s wasted cleaning up after litterbugs.”

Fast food packaging, soft drink cups, coffee cups and cigarette butts are the most littered items in Western Sydney.

Bunting says all items belong in the bin, not out a car window.

“Cigarette butts are especially harmful. They are made of plastic, so they don’t break down and they stay in the environment for years,” he said.

“They wash into stormwater drains, release toxic chemicals polluting our creeks and rivers, and can harm aquatic life.”

To make a report, the reporter must have seen the litter being thrown from the vehicle, provide the vehicle registration details and the location where the littering took place. The report must also be made within 14 days of the incident.

Residents are encouraged to note the number plate of the vehicle involved in the incident and as many details as possible to be lodged through the NSW EPA website on the ‘Report a Tosser’ portal.

Photos and dash cam footage can also be uploaded with a report. Once details are verified, the NSW EPA may issue a fine of between $500 and $1000 to the vehicle’s owner.

For more information, visit: www.epa.nsw.gov.au/