A brand new campaign, aimed at the 'tossers' who chuck their rubbish out of car windows. New research shows a third of people don't know the law.



A third of people (33%) do not know that the registered keeper of a vehicle can now be fined if someone in their car or van throws rubbish out of it.

‘Don’t be a Tosser’ has been designed to send a hard-hitting message to drivers and their passengers that our roads are not one giant litter bin and that the owner of a vehicle can be fined up to £150 if rubbish is seen being thrown out of a car window.

New rules came into force in April this year to allow local authorities to fine the registered keeper of a vehicle if litter is seen being thrown from the vehicle. This means they no longer have to prove who threw the rubbish.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said:

“The mindless act of tossing plastic bottles and fast-food wrappers out of car windows is doing damage to our environment and our wildlife.

“Research published recently in Keep Britain Tidy’s Journal of Local Environmental Quality showed that millions of small mammals – voles and shrews - were dying after being enticed into bottles and cans thrown on to grass verges.

“We need to get the message out there that being a tosser is socially unacceptable and, regardless of who throws the rubbish, if it comes out of your vehicle you are responsible."