A Jan Juc man who tossed a coffee cup from his ute at Freshwater Creek, then dropped another one five minutes later, has avoided a conviction but paid $531 in fine and costs when the case went to court.

EPA Victoria fined the man for littering after a witness reported him to the 24-hour pollution hotline.  He took the case to the Geelong Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawfully depositing waste.  The Magistrate fined him $150 without conviction and ordered him to pay $381 in costs.

The offence had taken place on Anglesea Rd just before 5pm on Wednesday, 29 March 2023, and came to court on 29 April 2024.

Unlawfully depositing litter is an offence under Section 115 of the Environment Protection Act 2017, and EPA typically issues around 13,000 litter fines a year, many of them for small items such as food containers or cigarette butts.

Members of the public can report litter and other forms of pollution by calling EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or providing details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution