D.C. to ticket litterers

Tossing a cigarette butt on a D.C. sidewalk could soon mean getting a pricey ticket from a police officer. The D.C. police department is starting a pilot project next week that will have officers walking the beat ticketing pedestrians for dropping “waste material of any source” on public property. Starting Sunday, litterbugs will get a warning; a month later and they’ll get a $75 ticket. The fines jump as high as $250 and the charge turns criminal if ticket recipients skip court or refuse to provide their names to police. A department spokeswoman confirmed that discarded cigarette butts are considered enough litter to get a ticket.