A smoko in a car park at Armstrong Creek has cost a Mt Duneed woman $478, after she tossed a cigarette from a parked car.

EPA Victoria fined the woman after a witness reported seeing her toss a cigarette butt from her Kia Rio after arriving at the Armstrong Creek Town Centre on the morning of 16 August 2023.

The offence took place in August 2023, but as we enter the hotter months it sounds a warning. Discarded cigarettes are recognised as a cause of bush and grass fires.

The woman entered a not guilty plea in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court this week, on a charge of unlawfully depositing litter, namely a cigarette butt. The court found the charge was proven but did not record a conviction. The woman was fined $385 and ordered to pay EPA Victoria $93 in legal costs. 

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