No butts, says mayor

THE Shire of Yarra Ranges has called for smokers to consider their actions before throwing cigarette butts out of car windows.
Mayor Tim Heenan says throwing cigarette butts out of car windows can lead to bushfires.
“Cigarette butts have a long history of starting bushfires around Australia,” he said.
“On a day of high fire danger there’s a very real possibility that a bushfire could be the result of a carelessly thrown cigarette butt.
“It would only need to land on something tinder dry and have somewhere to spread.”
Cr Heenan urged people not to throw butts out of car windows.
He said research from the Department of Sustainability and Environment has shown that 41 bushfires on public land in Victoria over the past 20 years have been attributed to cigarette butts.
Streeton Ward councillor Noel Cliff said cigarette butts could smoulder for up to three hours.
“That smouldering cigarette could cause a grass or bushfire,” he said.
Cr Cliff said it was illegal to throw cigarette butts out of car windows and urged anyone who saw it happen to report it to the Environment Protection Authority.
He said witnesses should write down the registration number of the offending car and the details of where the incident happened.
Cr Cliff has also urged residents who spot smoke to dial 000 immediately.