Formerly, discarding coronavirus masks would attract a fine of €68, but that amount has been raised to 135€.
Face masks, which have exploded in popularity since the outbreak of the coronavirus, have become frequently discarded on city streets.
Brune Poirson, France’s Secretary for the Environment, said that everyone in France had the responsibility to ensure that masks were disposed of thoughtfully.
“The plastic waste from the Covid-19 crisis reminds us that clean oceans begin with clean sidewalks,” Poirson said on Twitter.
Poirson said the increase in the fine was necessary in order to combat “incivility and pollution”.
Les déchets plastique liés à la crise du covid19 rappellent que si on veut des océans propres, ça commence par des trottoirs propres.
Pour lutter contre les incivilités & la pollution, l’amende pour abandon de déchet sur la voie publique va passer à 135€. https://t.co/mCPRHTly9n— Brune Poirson (@brunepoirson) June 7, 2020
A report from Scuba Diver magazine in late May said that discarded masks and gloves “litter the seabed in the Mediterranean”.
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