PORTLAND — Cigarette smokers beware.

The Portland City Council amended its littering ordinance on Monday night to include tobacco products among the trash that’s illegal to toss on public property.

Additional Photos

A cigarette butt lies in Monument Square today. Beginning March 7, Portland smokers face a $100 fine for discarding cigarette butts on public property. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Victoria Patriotti, 19, says she doesn't throw her cigarette butts on the ground when she's done smoking, but throws them in the trash or puts them in her pocket instead. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The penalty? A $100 fine. The amendment takes effect March 7.

The change was initiated by Jan Beitzer, executive director of Portland’s Downtown District, a nonprofit organization that promotes the heart of the city.

Beitzer said today that there have been more complaints about cigarette butts on the streets, especially during the summer, since the city in 2008 banned smoking at outdoor restaurants.

That forced more people to smoke on sidewalks and has resulted in more littering, she said.

Portland’s Downtown District and the city plan to roll out an educational campaign this spring, through social media and signs on trash cans, to discourage people from throwing butts on the ground because it’s harmful to the environment and the attractiveness of the downtown, Beitzer said.