Dumping two supermarket bags of rubbish on the roadside will get $150 fine. Dumping the equivalent contents of a "red lid" 120-litre wheelie bin will attract a $250 fine.
The schedule - likely to start in November - proposes a $400 fine for hazardous litter such as broken glass, barbed wire, jagged metal, medicines and hazardous waste.
It is also $400 for offensive litter such as rotting food waste, animal remains and dirty nappies.
Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board chairwoman Leila Boyle said it wanted to reflect the amount of litter in the level of the fine for a first offence.
Ms Boyle said a $50 fine would have deterred people from stuffing bags of their household rubbish in public receptacles to avoid the cost of paying for a $2 official bag or, from 2015, to have their wheelie bin emptied.
Four local boards wanted to send a sterner warning - one infringement fee of $400 for all litter.
Consumer research showed 48 per cent thought a $400 instant fine for illegal dumping was fair and 40 per cent thought it should be more.
However, 17 local boards favoured fines based on the amount dumped.
The council gets about 17,000 litter complaints a year.
PROPOSED FINES
* $100 for less than 1 litre of litter
* $150 for 1 to 20 litres
* $250 for 20 to 120 litres
* $400 for more than 120 litres
* $400 for hazardous or offensive litter
* $400 for second and subsequent offences within a year
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Is $400 too harsh or fair enough for repeat littering? Email: newsdesk@nzherald.co.nz
