A new specialist cleaning workforce will hit the streets next month, as part of the City of Melbourne Council’s commitment to deliver a cleaner and safer city – targeting the CBD’s busiest and most popular precincts.
For the next three months, Council says the Clean Team will be on duty 12 hours a day, seven days a week – picking up rubbish, pressure washing footpaths, wiping street furniture, sweeping and proactively tackling issues.
“As we attract more people into the city, we want Melburnians and visitors to enjoy the clean, green streets and laneways we’re renowned for,” said Lord Mayor, Sally Capp.
“Our new Melbourne Clean Team will be working from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week, getting the basics right – and that means washing footpaths, wiping furniture, picking up rubbish and reporting bin issues before they overflow to ensure we’re putting our best foot forward.”
“We’re trialing this initiative in some of our city’s most popular dining, retail and tourism precincts – and if successful, we’ll consider expanding to other parts of our municipality.”
The team will hit the ground on 1 March, with the trial to focus on two CBD hotspots:
- Precinct 1 – within Lonsdale, Russell, Bourke and Swanston Streets
- Precinct 2 – within Little Bourke, Swanston, Flinders and Elizabeth Streets
Council Transport, Infrastructure and Operations deputy portfolio lead, Councillor Davydd Griffiths said 10 new full-time jobs will be created, with the potential to expand the team across more precincts after the three-month trial.
“We’re boosting our presence on the ground and targeting the city’s busiest areas. Our new Clean Team will ensure we’re addressing and reporting issues before they become major problems.”
“We’d encourage the community to continue to work with us to scrub the city clean – reporting graffiti, rubbish and other issues through our QR codes,” he said.
The initiative builds on the success of Council’s Rapid Response Clean Team, which has already removed more than 20,000m2 of graffiti across the city in 2023 – a 73% increase on the same time last year.
As a result of the City of Melbourne’s crackdown on graffiti and vandalism over the past 12 months, graffiti reporting has increased almost 90%, while response times have improved by 223%.
“We know our traders, residents, city workers and visitors want a city they can be proud of – they’ve demonstrated their commitment to keeping our city sparkling by embracing our new streamlined reporting system. With their help already in 2023, our Rapid Response Clean Team has completed more than 3,400 jobs,” said Lord Mayor Capp.
“We’re asking the public to continue being proactive in reporting issues, and mindful of their role in keeping our city clean.”
For more information, visit City of Melbourne.
