Alabama Littering Laws With Stiffer Penalties Are In Affect

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
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Date: Sep 02 2019 7:49 PM

ALABAMA:     A new state law increasing the penalties for littering begins Sunday.

It will bump littering up to a class B misdemeanor, increase the fine and add community service to the penalty- in the form of picking up trash on the side of the road.

When citizens are surveyed about pollution problems, litter and trash are usually considered the number one problem. Whether it is garbage, construction debris deliberately dropped on the roadside, or paper and debris left in a parking lot, it all travels to our rivers and lakes when it rains. 

Help clean up debris and trash by showing your personal commitment to Take Action for Clean Water. 

Avoid putting loose debris in the back of your pick-up truck as it blows out and does not remain in the back of the truck. 

Volunteer to help clean up a stream or lake in your community. 

Have your club or church group "Adopt a Stream" in the local community. 

Report "illegal dumps" to your local authority. 

HOUSTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER DOUG SINQUEFIELD, DISTRICT 2    

Today Commissioner Doug Sinquefield hit the sides of the roads picking up litter. Commissioner Sinquefield picked up bags of garbage on a small stretch of the roadside.

Commissioner Sinquefield wanted the public to be aware the Alabama Legislature passed a new law which went into affect on Sunday. The Legislature increased the penalties making it stiffer for those caught littering.

Also groups have adopted roadway areas to help keep it clean.

Commissioner Sinquefield encouraged groups, church groups, civic clubs, businesses to adopt areas and help keep our county clean. Commissioner Sinquefield wanted to encourage those who do to keep safety in mind. The motoring public does not always pay attention and if adopting sides of roadways use extra caution.

And Commissioner Sinquefield encouraged you to keep in mind the new Alabama Law before you litter.

BTW - the cigarette butt you throw out, the little piece of paper you thrown out, that is littering.

WHO AND WHAT -  Who litters our roads and countrysides?

According to a 31 state survey conducted by the Institute of Applied Research:

• 1/2 of litter is deliberate and 1/2 is caused by materials being "accidentally" lost from vehicles.

• Males do 72% of deliberate littering and are responsible for 96% of accidental littering. • 69% of deliberate litterers were accompanied by one or more people.

• 60% of deliberate littering is done by pedestrians and 40% is done by motorist. Composition of Highway Litter • 59% paper, 16% cans, 6% bottles, 6% plastic, 13% miscellaneous.

• One mile of highway contains approximately 16,000 pieces of litter (estimated cost of pick up is 30 cents per piece of litter).

ALABAMA LEGISLATURE

The Alabama State Legislature passed a law that has upgraded littering, especially litter thrown from cars, from a Class C to a Class B misdemeanor. That means possible jail time up to six months and fines up to $3,000, plus court fees. The new law also mentions mandatory community service. Williams is glad state lawmakers are acting, but says we have a bigger problem locally.

CODE OF ALABAMA - CRIMINAL CODE Section 13A-7-29

NOTE:   New wording of new fines might not have been added to the wording

Criminal littering.

(a) A person commits the crime of criminal littering if he or she engages in any of the following acts:

(1) Knowingly deposits in any manner litter on any public or private property or in any public or private waters, having no permission to do so. For purposes of this subdivision, any series of items found in the garbage, trash, or other discarded material including, but not limited to, bank statements, utility bills, bank card bills, and other financial documents, clearly bearing the name of a person shall constitute a rebuttable presumption that the person whose name appears thereon knowingly deposited the litter. Advertising, marketing, and campaign materials and literature shall not be sufficient to constitute a rebuttable presumption of criminal littering under this subsection.

(2) Negligently deposits in any manner glass or other dangerously pointed or edged objects on or adjacent to water to which the public has lawful access for bathing, swimming, or fishing, or on or upon a public highway, or within the right-of-way thereof.

(3) Discharges sewage, oil products, or litter from a watercraft vessel of more than 25 feet in length into a river, inland lake, or stream within the state or within three miles of the shoreline of the state.

(4) a. Drops or permits to be dropped or thrown upon any highway any destructive or injurious material and does not immediately remove the same or cause it to be removed; or

b. Removes a wrecked or damaged vehicle from a highway and does not remove glass or other injurious substance dropped upon the highway from such vehicle.

(b) "Litter" means rubbish, refuse, waste material, garbage, dead animals or fowl, offal, paper, glass, cans, bottles, trash, scrap metal, debris, or any foreign substance of whatever kind and description, and whether or not it is of value. Any agricultural product in its natural state that is unintentionally deposited on a public highway, road, street, or public right-of-way shall not be deemed litter for purposes of this section or Section 32-5-76. Any other law or ordinance to the contrary notwithstanding, the unintentional depositing of an agricultural product in its natural state on a public highway, road, street, or right-of-way shall not constitute unlawful littering or any similarly prohibited activity.

(c) It is no defense under subsections (a)(3) and (a)(4) that the actor did not intend, or was unaware of, the act charged.

(d) Criminal littering is a Class C misdemeanor. The minimum fine for the first conviction shall be two hundred fifty dollars ($250), and the fine for the second and any subsequent conviction shall be five hundred dollars ($500) for each conviction.

(e) The fine from such conviction shall be awarded and distributed by the court to the municipal, and/or county, and/or State General Fund, following a determination by the court of whose law enforcement agencies or departments have been a participant in the arrest or citation resulting in the fine. Such award and distribution shall be made on the basis of the percentage as determined by the court, which the respective agency or department contributed to the police work resulting in the arrest, and shall be spent by the governing body on law and litter enforcement purposes only.

(f) No action for criminal littering based on evidence that creates a rebuttable presumption under subsection (a)(1) shall be brought against a person by or on behalf of a county or municipal governing body unless he or she has been given written notice by a designee of the governing body that items found in an accumulation of garbage, trash, or other discarded materials contain his or her name, and that, under subsection (a)(1), there is a rebuttable presumption that he or she knowingly deposited the litter. The notice shall advise the person that criminal littering is a Class C misdemeanor, and shall provide that, unless the person can present satisfactory information or evidence to rebut the presumption to the designee of the governing body within 15 days from the date of the notice, an action for criminal littering may be filed against him or her in the appropriate court. If the person responds to the notice and presents information or evidence to the designee of the governing body, the designee shall review the information or evidence presented and make a determination as to whether or not an action should be brought against the person for criminal littering. The designee shall provide written notice to the person of its determination, and if the intent is to proceed with an action for criminal littering, the notice shall be sent before any action is filed.

(g) Upon approval of the county commission, the county license inspector employed under Section 40-12-10 shall have the same authority to issue citations against persons violating this section as county license inspectors have with regard to persons violating revenue laws as provided in Section 40-12-10. In addition, the county solid waste officer, as defined in subsection (b) of Section 22-27-3, shall have the same authority to issue citations against persons violating this section as solid waste officers have with regard to persons violating the Solid Wastes Disposal Act pursuant to subsection (b) of Section 22-27-3.

(h) Nothing herein shall authorize a county license inspector or solid waste officer to take any person into custody pursuant to this section unless the inspector or officer is a law enforcement officer employed by a law enforcement agency as defined in Section 36-21-40.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §2725; Acts 1990, No. 90-585, p. 1020; Acts 1997, No. 97-712, p. 1475, §1; Act 98-494, p. 954, §1; Act 2001-469, p. 623, §1; Act 2010-260, p. 468, §1.)

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