HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has approved the new law banning littering in the whole of Qatar.

According to Law No. 18 of 2017 on Public Hygiene, littering is now deemed illegal in Qatar, and anyone who will be caught violating the law will be penalized with a fine of up to QR25,000 and an imprisonment of up to one year.

The Emir passed stricter laws to keep the nation clean. ©Kim Kash/Flickr

Fines and Violations on Littering in Public Places and Houses

The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning in Qatar, with its campaign in making the nation clean, urges the residents, both expats and locals, to be responsible and be respectful to their surroundings.

As such, the Hukoomi of Qatar listed the following offenses with their equivalent penalties:

Throwing tissue paper, waste, empty cans and garbage or spitting on the sidewalks or public places —QR500
Leaving waste, trash bags, food waste or waste paper in front of houses, roads or public places — QR300.
Cleaning or drying carpets, blankets or clothes outside the windows or on balconies overlooking the roads or public places — QR500
Throwing waste of trees or gardens on roads or in public places — QR500
Flowing waste water to public roads — QR300
Occupying squares, roads, streets, lanes, alleys, sidewalks and public parking areas with abandoned vehicles or old equipment — QR1,000
Throwing or leaving waste, rubbish, trash bags or empty cans on the front of public stores or shops or outside the waste bins — QR500
Throwing or leaving food waste in gardens, on the beach, in public places or land space — QR500
Washing vehicles or machinery in unacceptable places — QR300

The law also prohibits dumping waste in parking lots, rooftops, balconies, corridors, walls and facades of houses and buildings, both public and private.

Residents are encouraged to keep Qatar clean. ©Paul Trafford/Flickr

Though Qatar is already clean and litter-free, the Emir and his government want to make sure that it will stay that way, and he expects everyone to follow the newly ratified law.

Advisory from the Philippine Embassy in Qatar

To ensure that the overseas Filipino workers in Qatar will adhere to the new law, the Philippine Embassy in Qatar has issued an advisory on the law in Qatar that bans littering in public places such as squares, roads, streets, sidewalks, public parks, gardens, beaches, sea and open lands.

The advisory indicates the offenses and their corresponding fines to make the Filipino community be more conscious of their actions when they are in public places around Qatar.