Politics & Government
Chicago Proposes $1,500 Littering Fine
Those opting to pitch their garbage onto the sidewalk or street will have to pay up under a newly proposed city council measure.
LINCOLN PARK, IL -- Littering in Chicago may soon cost people $1,500 and an impounded car, according to GeoBeats.
Alderman Howard Brookins Jr introduced the new measure to city council earlier this week, saying the city trash has gotten out of control.
“It is bad, it is nasty, it's a public health concern and it's gotta stop," Brookins told DNAinfo.
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The change would increase the existing fine from $50 to $1,500 and, for those over 16, impound their car.
Brookins said he knows it’s excessive but the current fines are so low that they are not effective deterrents. The Lake Michigan Federation said that half of the trash collected along the city’s shoreline is discarded cigarette butts.
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