Official pays 50-yuan fine for tossing cigarette butt (2)

"This is the first ticket issued to someone from out of province. The positive response is helpful in promoting our efforts at preventing littering on the road," said Ye, adding that his office is also concerned for the safety of the many street sweepers employed to pick up garbage that has been strewn over the city's roads.

Since the campaign started, officials have issued tickets to 86 motorists for littering.

"The current traffic law bans littering, but enforcement is slack," Wang Zhenyu, a professor with the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times.