Free graffiti removal kits available now
Date published: 18 May 2022
Illegal graffiti has long been a blight on the Townsville community, but with the introduction of Council’s new graffiti removal kits, residents can join in on the battle to keep Townsville looking its best.
Townsville City Council has made free graffiti removal kits available to individuals, businesses and community groups in Townsville through an online voucher system.
Mayor Jenny Hill said the implementation of the kits was a result of Council’s Graffiti Action Plan.
“Graffiti has long been a scourge on our city, damaging private and public property, which is why we developed an Action Plan that outlines a clear direction to prevent and manage illegal graffiti activity,” Cr Hill said.
“Council does its best to remove illegal graffiti around our city in a timely manner; however, the best time to remove graffiti is in the immediate hours and days after the tag has been done, so it makes good sense to make these kits available to our community so they can help keep their suburbs looking great.”
Community Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability Committee chairperson Cr Maurie Soars said upon receiving a voucher via Council’s website, the kits were available from Addison’s Mitre 10 on Ingham Road.
“Individuals, businesses and community groups can apply for a voucher by visiting Council’s website. Once they meet the criteria and receive their voucher, they can claim a graffiti removal kit from Addison’s Mitre 10,” Cr Soars said.
“It is terrific we’ve been able to support a locally owned and run business in the roll out of these kits. The perks of the program go beyond that of cleaning up our streets, but puts money back in the pockets of our community.
“The act of graffiti not only costs Council, but also our ratepayers. Between 2016-2020 alone, Council spent more than $265,000 cleaning up over 1,500 pieces of graffiti.”
Cr Soars said Townsville City Council was hoping the program would work to reduce the number of cases of illegal graffiti and create a more aesthetic city.
“Nobody likes waking up to find their property has been graffitied, so we’re hoping these new kits will allow our community to be involved in raising awareness of this illegal activity,” Cr Soars said.
“We encourage our community to actively report graffiti on public property, to ensure our Council officers can remove graffiti where needed and reduce the illegal activity throughout the city.”
To claim your Graffiti Removal kit, visit the Safe Places page on Council’s website.
