Task Force Removes 12 Acres of Graffiti in Six Months

Graffiti totalling almost 12 acres (or 12 football pitches) has been blitzed by Glasgow's Environmental Task Force in the past six months.

Rapid response teams have power washed over 46,000sqm of graffiti since the Task Force was launched in June. That's a record amount for Glasgow's graffiti teams in any six month period.

Waste weighing almost 3000 tons was also uplifted from Glasgow streets and disposed of by the community-based clean teams. New figures released today also show debris from more than 14,000 fly-tipping incidents was removed and 500 sites were also enhanced by staff.

In a bid to make litter louts clean up their acts, almost 7000 culprits were hit with Fixed Penalty Notices and a further 750 irresponsible pet owners were fined for failing to clean up their dogs' dirt.

Long term unemployed people recruited as Task Force trainees have also scored personal success thanks to the support and training they received in the last six months. Seven trainees have secured permanent jobs - mainly with Glasgow City Council and the Wheatley Group - and a further 12 have earned a City in Guilds qualification - increasing their employability when their year's training ends.

Efforts to encourage city residents to play an active role in keeping their neighbourhoods tidy have attracted an additional 224 Neighbourhood Improvement Volunteers (NIVs) - boosting the city's volunteer army to 757.

These dedicated residents have undertaken 5348 local clean ups supported by the Task Force in the past six months. Pupils have also carried out almost 500 school litter picks and businesses have been involved in more than 800 events.

Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of the Task Force, said: "The Task Force is doing an absolutely tremendous job and the teams are to be congratulated. These figures are remarkable.

"The dedication of the Neighbourhood Improvement Volunteers and school pupils is also really impressive. I'm heartened by the fact that so many new volunteers have signed up to help to help keep their patches tidy. These people are taking pride in their communities and realise that by getting involved they can make a huge difference.

"Our school pupils are learning about conserving the environment and why it is wrong to drop litter. These are good habits which they'll take into adulthood and that's positive for the city.

"I'm absolutely delighted that several trainees have landed permanent jobs with the new skills and experience they have acquired. Helping long term unemployed people into work is a key element of this project and I'm delighted that people are benefiting.

"Admittedly we continue to face challenges. It is shocking that more than 7500 people have committed littering and dog fouling offences in the past six months. Hopefully, receiving a Fixed Penalty will make them think twice about doing it again."

If you would like to become a Neighbourhood Improvement Volunteer, contact Glasgow's Environmental Task Force via twitter @theenvtaskforce or phone 0141 276 7400.

The Task Force deals with issues such as fly-tipping, litter, graffiti and dog fouling. Please report instances via twitter, use the pink MyGlasgow app or phone 0300 343 7027 for help.