The fine for littering in SC was just slashed. Here’s why

Efforts to stop littering aren’t working to the satisfaction of S.C. lawmakers — so they voted Tuesday to cut the fines for tossing trash.

That logic might seem backwards, but lawmakers said police in South Carolina have been hesitant to issue litter tickets because the penalties are too heavy. With lower fines, officers might make more cases that would deter littering, House members said.

“I am open to anything that would start making our highways and byways look a little better,’’ state Rep. Chandra Dillard, D-Greenville, said in pushing for the cut in fines.

Current state law allows fines of $450 for tossing less than 15 pounds of litter, including cigarette butts, Dillard said. The House-passed bill drops that fine to $25 to $100, she said.

Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, said the bill could be hard to explain to his constituents, who might ask how reducing fines actually could help clean up the state. One thing is for sure, Taylor said: he hears plenty of complaints from S.C. voters about the state’s litter problem.

“I just got a letter yesterday from a constituent just blistering us ... for the litter problem,’’ he said. “It seems to become worse and worse each year. I’m all about litter, and I hope this is the real solution.’’

While the House voted overwhelmingly for the bill, Republican state Rep. Bruce Bryant, a retired York County sheriff, questioned the logic of cutting the fines. He said it is not up to law enforcement officers to decide the laws they want to enforce. But he also said they would be less likely to make cases if the fines aren’t substantial.

“Lowering the fine for a criminal offense, (such) as littering, certainly would not make police want to do more,’’ he said. “That would make them want to do less.’’

The House voted 98-14 to approve the bill, which now needs a final routine approval before going to the state Senate for consideration. The bill also increases some of the penalties for illegal dumping, which involves large quantities of trash.

“We are hoping that if we get a fine that is a little more realistic, we’ll see more tickets for the minor issues, but it also sets it up so that illegal dumping has higher consequences,’’ said Sarah Lyles, director of the Palmetto Pride anti-litter group.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 3:28 PM with the headline "The fine for littering in SC was just slashed. Here’s why."