Hefty Fines Await Litterbugs in Popular Swedish Tourist Spot

Don't litter the streets of Las Palmas. That's the message from the city's administration, which has started issuing fines. A cigarette butt or a bag of dog waste could cost you 7,500 kronor, reports El Diario.

Gran Canaria and Las Palmas are among Europe's most popular tourist destinations.

In recent years, the island and Spain as a whole have faced issues with pollution and over-tourism. The entire island's future is at risk, according to the mayor, who is now implementing several new, strict laws.

"The city's future will depend on the laws we are introducing for the first time," says Las Palmas Mayor Carolina Darias to El Diario.

Heavy fines will now be imposed on those who litter.

7,500 kronor to 35 million kronor

If you throw a cigarette butt or a bag of dog waste on any of the city's streets, you could be fined up to 7,500 kronor.

Leaving "trash" or other items on the roads could result in a fine of 100,000 kronor, and any environmentally hazardous material left behind could cost you up to 35 million kronor.

"We are striving for a new shift in social behavior and practice, a new distribution of responsibility, changes accompanied by the introduction of technology and machinery in both direct and indirect management," says Darias.

Spain and Las Palmas are not the only ones tired of tourists' behavior.

At the end of June, Berlin's administration introduced several laws to impose high fines on those who throw food waste on the street, and in the Italian town of Portofino, walking barefoot in the city center is no longer allowed.