Report littering from a vehicle

It’s against the law to litter from a vehicle, including a car, truck or van. If you see someone littering from or near the vehicle they are using, you can report it to us. Your report helps us prevent pollution in Victoria.

What you can report

You can report littering from vehicles to us. Types of litter include:

  • cigarette butts
  • plastic bags
  • food packaging
  • drink containers
  • PPE (personal protective equipment) such as disposable masks and gloves.

A person can be reported for littering:

  • from inside a vehicle
  • just before they get into a vehicle
  • just after they get out of a vehicle.

You can report littering by a driver or passenger, from a vehicle that’s on a road or in a car park. The vehicle can be moving or parked when the littering happens.

We deal with litter reports for vehicles registered in both Victoria and interstate.

You should report littering within 7 days of when it happened.

Other types of litter and waste

If the littering is not from or near a vehicle, report it to your local council(opens in a new window).

You can report illegal waste dumping to us.

You can report unwanted advertising – such as leaflets – in mailboxes or on parked cars to the Distribution Standards Board(opens in a new window).

Learn more about litter.

How to report littering from a vehicle to EPA

You can report littering from a vehicle with Victorian number plates online within 7 days of when it happened.

Report online

Interstate vehicles

You can report littering from a vehicle with interstate number plates using this form.

Litter report form July 2021
Word 60.32 KB
(opens in a new window)

Complete the form and post or email it back to us using the contact details on the form.

What to include in your report

The more information you can give us, the quicker we can respond. When making your report, tell us:

  • about the vehicle, including number plate, make and model
  • where the vehicle was and what road it was on
  • the time and date
  • the type of litter
  • a description of the person alleged to have committed the offence
  • any other observations
  • your contact details.

If you have any photos, videos, voice recordings or handwritten notes, you can include these in your report.

Reports cannot be anonymous. You need to be willing to attend court as a witness if needed. Only 2% of reports end up going to court.

What happens next

After you have made your report, we send you a confirmation email with a reference number.

We review the report and check the vehicle's details with VicRoads before sending the person a fine for littering.

We receive about 20,000 reports of littering from a vehicle each year, and 70% of these result in a fine.

Being a witness in court

It’s not likely that you will need to attend court as a witness. If you are called as a witness, you will be asked to give a written statement about the littering you saw. The accused person can read this statement before the court date.

You may need to appear in court and talk about the littering you saw.

If you refuse to be a witness in court, we may not accept any future litter reports from you.

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