Littering smokers face $250 fine in Edmonton

A downtown litter crackdown will also focus on smokers who toss their used butts on the ground, officials with the city of Edmonton said Monday.

Until Aug. 16, people caught littering downtown will get written warnings from city bylaw officers. After that, they will be given $250 tickets.

"We want people to realize that it's your street, it's your city. Be proud of it. Don't litter and dispose of it properly and act responsibly and everybody will be all the better for it," said Don Belanger, program manager for Capital City Cleanup.

Cigarette butts make up nearly a third of the small litter in the city, Belanger said.  The city has installed a number of receptacles along Jasper Avenue to help people dispose of their butts.

The campaign will run from Aug. 16 to Aug. 21, focusing on 12 blocks along Jasper Avenue from 97th to 109 streets.