Italy: Heavy Fines for People Tossing Cigarettes

Source from:  New Europe 12/29/2015

From now on Italian authorities are allowed to impose fines to the people who toss cigarettes on the streets.

The Local Italy, reported that the Italian parliament approved a new law on Tuesday, which aims to make Italian public spaces cleaner. The law targets all the people who intentionally pollute public spaces by spitting a gum or tossing a cigarette for instance. The fines for polluting public spaces will be between 30 and 150 euro. According to the Local, the legislation says that fines will hit people found throwing "small pieces of litter any place that isn't a bin: including the gutter, floor, and water."

Moreover, the Green economy law, voted by the Lower House includes a package of measures promoting sustainable development, the green economy, and saving natural resources. Italian news agency ANSA reported that environment undersecretary Silvia Velo said in a statement that the Green economy law:

"Simplifies and promotes the re-use of resources with the aim of conceiving a new development model based on environmental sustainability…This law, which introduces the term 'green economy' in Italy for the first time, truly represents an extraordinary opportunity for combining economic development and environmental sustainability," Velo said.

Under the new law, the government will invest €35 million to combat the air pollution problems in the biggest Italian cities. According to the Local, much of the money will go towards providing free public transport and expanding existing city-bike and carpooling schemes.

Today, the two most known Italian cities, Rome and Milan suffered from high smog levels, and authorities in both cities forced to impose car bans to deal with the air pollution issue. ANSA reported that drivers with license plates ending in uneven numbers were banned from the taking to the roads of the nation's capital while in Milan, city authorities ordered all drivers to leave their vehicles off the roads. Enditem