A Chicago alderman wants to increase the fine for city litter bugs, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is on board.
Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) proposes a fine of up to $1,500 for those who throw garbage out the window of a moving or standing vehicle. He also wants to impound the vehicle if the person who tossed the trash is 16 years or older.
Emanuel wrote in a letter to Brookins that "no street in this city should be treated like a personal trash can" and he supports the alderman's ordinance for stiffer penalties.
Current litter fines top out at about $200. The cost of retrieving an impounded vehicle is considerably higher.
"I am encouraged to see you and many throughout our communities say loud and clear that they will no longer tolerate this behavior," Emanuel wrote. "We all agree that trash belongs in a garbage can, not on the streets of Chicago."
Brookins proposed the ordinance at a City Council meeting in June. The measure is slated for a community hearing.
