Yorick Jansens

Mayor hopes to fine chewing gum and cigarette end litterers

The Mayor of Kortrijk Vincent Van Quickenborne (liberal) has proposed issuing anti-social behaviour fines to those that throw away cigarette butts and chewing gum onto the streets and pavements of the West Flemish city. 

Mr Van Quickenborne made his proposals during VRT Radio 2’s Mayors’ Marathon, a programme in which Mayors from the same province (on Monday it was the turn of West Flanders) are interviewed about their priorities and the challenges they face during the legislature that got under way on 1 January.      

Like many other Mayors in West Flanders, Mr Van Quickenborne believes that clean, litter-free public spaces are of great importance.

The Mayor of Kortrijk told VRT Radio 2 that fly tipping is a veritable scourge and that people of the city are greatly annoyed by cigarette butts and chewing gun that are dumped in public places.

"We would like to impose anti-social behaviour fines of 55 euro on those that throw cigarette butts or chewing gum onto the ground”.

“We have put the proposal to the people of Kortrijk and 3,000 have already responded. We hope that the majority of people in Kortrijk will back this approach. It would be strictly enforced and we would be the first city in Flanders to do this”. 

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