Smoking fine is it fair?

[rod]

Manchester city council has imposed an instant fine of �50 for dropping a cigarette butt at least you can sweep up a cigarette butt? So why not impose heavy fines for dropping chewing gum? It costs a lot of money to remove chewing gum is time consuming and looks unsightly.

[VINNY100_2]

If they make �50 of each person that drops a cigarette butt,They can then afford to buy one of these expensive machines for zapping chewing gum on pavements.

[45703]

It's persecution of smokers why should smokers fund machines to clear chewing gum the people who drop chewing gum should do that the same as car drivers that speed, fund speed cameras I think its just easy targets again all the officials have to do is follow a person with smoke around them.

[VINNY100_2]

Are you suggesting we should have speed cameras for chewing gum throwers!! Um good idea.The councils will make a fortune!!Does that mean will all have to wear number plates!!

[milly143]

As a smoker I am not totally against the proposal of fines but agree that it should not just apply to smokers, but to every person who drops any kind of litter. My argument against a fine at present would be what exactly do they want us to do with fag butts. I'm sure they wouldn't be too happy if i threw a lit cigarette in the bin and there are never any of those out door ashtrays around.

[lillylampost]

What about the ash they drop. Fine them �500. Ban smoking in all public places it�s a filthy habit.  

[newtron]

The fine should apply to anybody who drops any type of litter.  There is definitely a litter problem here in the UK. 

Sorry milly143 but that is a poor excuse for throwing cigarette butts on the sidewalk.  It does not take long to put the cigarette out on the sidewalk or on the side of the bin.

[jno]

I suspect there are 100 cigarette butts to every lump of chewing gum, which would explain the fine: it's to deter the most common offence, not the messiest. It would be nice if they used the money as Vinny suggests, though.

[newtron]

A �500 fine?!?  Am I the only person who has to think twice before jumping on board the "make more rules and regulations on what people can and can't do" bandwagon?  I think we have enough rules and regulations as it is.  As with any contraversial issue, I think the best solution is education so that people can act responsibly on their own.  Over the recent years there has been a huge public campaign about the dangers of smoking and I honestly think it is working.  As far as I know there are less smokers today than there were ten years ago (If I am wrong about this, please guide me to some accurate statistics.).  We will probably never be able to stop smoking entirely, but things are surely getting better.   

[ludwig]

It depends if the fine applies to just cigarette ends or all types of litter. If not, why? If I was a smoker I'd be tempted to protest against the stupidity and unfairness of it by carefully depositing my ciggie in the bins provided, and then dumping a a few pocketsful of 'non cigarette related garbage' on the pavement nearby - every time I had a smoke.

[ludwig]

Just to clarify my earlier point , my objection is to the unfairness - if it's a 50 quid fine for littering of any kind then that's brilliant, well done the council.

[tanyavee]

If you put a cigarette butt in the bin it might catch fire. Why don�t they have ash trays next to the bins?

[libertie]

I'm all for fining (?) anyone caught dropping litter, a local newspaper here in Edinburgh recently reported that a lady on her way to work in a city centre law firm at 8.30am was fined �50 for dropping a cigarette butt at a bus stop (no bin), lady said fair enough and paid her fine, adding that she hoped the wardens would have been as efficient if the incident had happened at 8.30pm, she had been male and was wearing a burberry cap..........

[libertie]

Whoops.......just been to people & places hope my post above does'nt offend anyone........especially any of you lovely people that wear Burberry caps or come to think of it Burberry anythingx

[lillylampost]

typo fine them �50 fine not �500!!!!!!

[acw]

Thanks for warning me!!!  Relative to the pettiness of a �5 for crossing the road on foot on a red in Germany, at least this fine is enough to deter.  I'll just have to remember to accurately drop the butts down the drains now or put them out on the side of bins as usual. 

 

And don't start that about smoking in public places and it's a filthy habit.  When we're outside we're not harming anyone so lay off please! :-)  Inside, then fine, a ban is ok - i don't disagree.  But not being free to smoke in the open air would be ridiculous. 

[smudge]

As far as I'm concerned there should be on the spot fines for cigarette butts, chewing gum, spitting, dog fouling & any kind of litter dropping. BUT that's only if you can catch the people who do it!

smudge UK

[woofgang]

well if I eat chocolate in public and there is no bin, I put the paper in my pocket. I don't think its an excuse with any kind of litter to say I dropped it because there was no bin. If you want to smoke in public, I really don't mind (unless you are stood next to me in the bus queue) but you should have the means with you to extinguish your butt and carry your rubbish away...and before you yell, the same for gum chewers!!

[woofgang]

PS on the rare circumstances where I walk my dog in parks on pavements or in other similar areas, I scoop the poop as well. Normally she runs in the New Forest where all the denizens pooh freely and leave it to lie so I don't do it there!!

[smudge]

Good on you woofgang - it's a pity 'some' other dog owners can't take a leaf out of your book!

[Grunty]

I think anyone should be free to pursue any dirty habit in the privacy of their home.  On crowded pavements I am constantly checking the approaching hands for lit cigarettes.

Someone I knew was hit by a lit cigarette that came out of the car in front, through her sunroof and onto her while she was driving. 

The potential for spreading disease via cigarette butts must be fairly high.