A Craigieburn man probably didn’t realise he was making a donation to support CFA volunteer firefighters, when he dropped a lit cigarette from his Landrover on the Western Freeway, at Caroline Springs.

A witness reported seeing the man drop the burning cigarette butt from the Landrover Discovery on Saturday afternoon, 16 September 2023.

EPA Victoria fined the man, and he chose to take the case to the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court, where he entered a guilty plea.

The Magistrate found the charge of unlawfully depositing dangerous litter was proven, but did not record a conviction on the condition that the man makes a $250 donation to the CFA.

EPA says cigarette butts are the most common litter, lit cigarettes are recognised as a common cause of grass and bushfires, with the same risk to people’s homes and safety as intentional fires, and even if they don’t start a fire, they often find their way through drains into local waterways.

Members of the public can report littering from vehicles on the EPA Victoria website epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/report-litter-from-vehicles