Valencia police issue 20 fines daily for littering and waste violations

The Valencia local police have issued 495 fines since October 13 to penalize residents and visitors for littering and improper waste disposal in Valencia, Spain.

These citations follow the implementation of a new municipal cleaning ordinance designed to enforce stricter hygiene standards in public spaces. The city council reported that the majority of these penalties target people who rummage through waste containers or discard small items like cigarette butts, papers, and chewing gum on the ground.

Rummaging through containers accounted for 178 of the total citations, with a peak of 109 reports in a single week. Authorities also issued 78 fines for small litter and 110 fines for abandoning larger waste on public streets. The new regulations establish a range of heavy financial penalties for various behaviors. For example, leaving scattered waste or large items on the street can result in fines of up to 3,000 euros.

Other violations, such as spitting in public or creating graffiti on protected heritage sites, also carry significant costs. The ordinance aims to improve the cleanliness of the city by making these behaviors more expensive for the public.