Fines for burning plant waste to be toughtened

Burning plant waste such as farm or garden wastes will be punishable by fines ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 lei for individuals and from 8,000 to 10,000 lei for entities, under an amendment to the Code of Administrative Offenses approved by the Government. Deputy Environment Minister Lazar Chirica noted that the practice of burning dried plants and other plant waste has a negative impact on the environment, seriously polluting the air and affecting terrestrial ecosystems. Also, burning such waste near roads may reduce visibility and lead to accidents. Currently the Code of Administrative Offenses provides rather mild penalties for this practice, ranging from simple warnings to fines of up to 600 lei for individuals and 2,000 lei for legal entities.