City of Melbourne Council has unveiled a new cleaning regime which will see graffiti hotspots monitored daily and the response time to the removal of offensive graffiti cut to just one hour.
Under the new Clean City Services contract, Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the Council was supercharging its cleaning efforts like never before “with boots on the ground 24 hours a day, seven days a week”.
“A clean city is one our residents, traders and city workers can be proud of, which is why we’ve tripled our investment in cleaning services over the past four years,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We know the best deterrent to crack down on repeat offenders is to remove graffiti as soon as possible. That’s why we’re taking our services to the next level to ensure our city is always looking its best.”
She said the Council had more than doubled its investment in clean city services compared to 10 years ago – spending $97 million between 2021 and 2024.
Under the new contract, Melbourne’s laneways will also be targeted, with hotspot pressure washing in the busiest laneways jumping from five days a week to daily.
The Council is also ramping up its electric vehicle fleet service, tripling the current service to six vehicles, allowing crews to get to reported areas quickly.
It is estimated the new contract will reduce annual fuel consumption by more than 100,000 litres – the equivalent of 265 tonnes of greenhouse emissions saved per year.
“We’re doing what counts and taking cleaning to new heights. We’ve listened to our community, and we know how important a clean city is to create a safe and welcoming environment,” said City Transport, Infrastructure and Operations deputy portfolio lead, Councillor Davydd Griffiths.
“While our Clean Teams will be working non-stop, we want Melburnians to take pride in their city and do their part – cleaning up after themselves and reporting issues so we can take care of them quickly.”
In the last year, more than 112,000m2 of graffiti – the equivalent to five MCG’s worth – was removed and 1,568 tonnes of dumped rubbish were collected – 32% more than the previous year, said Cr Griffiths.
The Clean City Services contract, shared by Spotless and Calcorp, will run for five years with the option to extend for a further five years.
Melburnians are encouraged to report cleaning and graffiti issues via the City of Melbourne website or by calling 03 9658 9658.
