TRESA’s Vice-Chair recently reported graffiti (tagging) in Totterdown and was concerned to receive a response from Bristol Waste stating: “We started removing graffiti from commercial or residential properties free of charge, only if they are not bigger than 1 square meters and if they are below head height. Our Pump crew have checked the job the graffiti is bigger than 1 square meters and this is chargeable job. If you are interested, please let me know and we will prepare a quotation for you.”
TRESA decided to take this matter further and wrote to Bristol Waste, Bristol’s councillors and the Mayor’s office to say that this policy was likely to increase the amount of graffiti across Bristol and would undermine the Mayor’s aim to make the city noticeably cleaner. TRESA also submitted a question at the recent Cabinet meeting.
We have now received the following written response: “We agree that the one metre square graffiti removal restriction gives the wrong message to residents and groups who work with us to improve their communities, and gets in the way of efforts to remove graffiti from the cities walls. Councillor Kye Dudd discussed this issue with Bristol Waste Company Managing Director Tony Lawless and it was agreed that the 1 square metre restriction would be removed and tagging would be removed using a “common sense approach” i.e. if it is over 1 square meter but not covering a large area which would take the team several hours to eradicate.”
The following additional information was also supplied:
Many residents and visitors to the city have expressed their concerns about the amount of graffiti and tagging in Bristol and we need to do more to tackle problem graffiti which is why it is an important aspect of the Clean Streets Campaign. Bristol Waste is contracted to clear all graffiti reported on publicly owned property, and it will endeavour to do so in a timely manner (60hrs following notification). They prioritise the removal of offensive or racist graffiti and aim to remove it within 8hrs of being notified of it. The company is also trialling a community programme to help communities tackle graffiti on private property. The scheme uses paint diverted from the waste stream at HWRCs and uses it to clear up graffiti.
Bristol is renowned for its vibrant street art scene. Bristol Waste takes great care to distinguish between authorised Street Art and Graffiti, ensuring the authorised Street Art is not removed. Where Bristol Waste is unsure of the difference in any situation, it obtains clarification from the Council before to taking any action to remove it. Where scaffolding or specialised equipment is required then Bristol Waste and the Council shall agree a timeframe for the relevant graffiti removal.