Throwing waste on the public highway, a mask or a cigarette butt can be punished with a fine of 135 euros, against 68 euros currently, according to a draft decree, announced Sunday the Secretary of State for the Ecological Transition Brune Poirson .
This draft decree, which concerns masks, gloves, cigarette butts and even wild refuse dumps, should be presented in mid-June. The fine could even go up to 375 euros, or even 750 euros if the police draw up a report and forward it to the court, according to the ministry.
This measure is part of the roadmap for the circular economy launched in 2018 and "finds with the Covid-19 a new echo, with the multiplication of the number of new abandoned waste linked to the health crisis" instead to be thrown in the trash, said the ministry.
"Any waste thrown on the ground often ends up in the ocean"
"Everyone must understand that any waste thrown on the ground often ends up in the ocean," said Brune Poirson, in a statement sent to AFP. "If we want clean seas and oceans, it starts with clean sidewalks", continues the Secretary of State, who goes to Lège-Cap-Ferret, Gironde on Sunday, on the eve of World Oceans Day, for collecting plastic waste.
The ministry also plans to intensify its communication campaigns to encourage people not to throw the garbage anywhere.