Stopping graffiti and gum
August 1st 2007

ENCAMS is determined to make graffiti, gum and grime a thing of the past. It can help local authorities take the scum off the streets with advice and a new DVD

Research shows that 89% of local authorities currently experience problems with graffiti. This is often made worse by the sight of derelict buildings and pavements drowning in piles of chewing gum and waste.This kind of environment can often leave communities feeling threatened and disempowered; their quality of life damaged by visual pollutants all around them. But, ENCAMS (the charity behind the Keep Britain Tidy campaign) is determined to make this a thing of the past.As part of its ongoing research, the charity has examined people's perceptions about graffiti and dropped chewing gum while analysing exactly what can be done about it.

Although many graffiti writers regard their work as art,ENCAMS believes that regardless of culture; graffiti is vandalism and nothing more than criminal damage. The cost of graffiti on the London economy exceeds as much as 100m each year. Research conducted by London Underground estimates that up to 10m is spent every year replacing glass that has been sprawled in graffiti. This is in addition to another 2.5m needed to clear up other types of graffiti, according to the British Transport Police.

Further studies carried out by ENCAMS also revealed that local authorities receive an average number of 168 graffiti complaints a year. The average amount spent on graffiti per local authority was more than 75,000 between April 2002 and March 2003. Residents become so exasperated by graffiti that just under half of local authorities have a dedicated hotline or dedicated member of staff to deal with graffiti.

Similarly, ENCAMS conducted a questionnaire that shows chewing gum is also perceived as a major public menace. Some people who enjoy chewing gum are often too lazy to find a rubbish bin, and choose to drop or spit it out on the streets instead. ENCAMS is well aware that chewing gum lowers the tone of an area and makes pavements grimy and dirty areas.

The Local Environmental Quality Survey of England unearthed chewing gum staining in 96% of primary retail and commercial sites.

Chewing gum is actually the most common form of staining on pavements, and is worse when large numbers of people congregate in a single area.According to ENCAMS latest research, people have become more aware of the problems caused by discarded chewing gum over the last six years. The survey also showed that many people had heard about clean-up campaigns on the television or radio, but still admit to throwing their gum on the streets.

ENCAMS has reacted by launching a number of graffiti and chewing gum removal courses. The charity operates a course which aims to provide street sweepers with the knowledge to carry out operational tasks efficiently. It also helps employees identify the correct equipment needed to carry out the range of cleansing tasks.

As well as running clean-up courses on chewing gum litter, other training courses are aimed at tackling graffiti both safely and effectively.

The programme essentially teaches staff to remove graffiti using the correct equipment. The removal of graffiti can be conducted by hand, or by using pressure washers to remove paintwork from buildings.

There are also a number of technological advances that make it easier to remove gum from pavements. ENCAMS has singled out a technique used by Westminster City Council as an ideal model for success. It has pioneered a new treatment to prevent gum from sticking to pavements. It also protects surfaces from other stains by forming an impermeable membrane within the paving itself. And with the use of this new treatment,any chewing gum which is dropped is unable to stick to the coating of the pavement making it easier to clean off.The charity considers this technique to be one which other local authorities may wish to adopt whenever appropriate. So much so it has produced a DVD outlining the initiative as best practice.

Although thorough cleaning has its part to play ENCAMS believes that overall prevention is the key. Stopping people from creating graffiti or spitting their chewing gum out onto the streets in the first place can be achieved through campaigning.There are plans for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to launch a national campaign encouraging people to dispose of their gum responsibly. Striking visuals will be displayed across 16 council areas.

Overall, the campaign's aim is to reduce the amount of gum dropped as litter. Last year's campaign saw an average reduction in chewing gum litter of 38%, with one area achieving a staggering 72% drop.

Campaigning has also been used to dissuade people scrawling graffiti. In August 2004, ENCAMS wrote to all Members of Parliament in the country asking for support on its zero tolerance stance to graffiti, and won the backing of 123 MPs.

Enforcement is also an option an approach often supported by the public. However, ENCAMS believes that any local authority wanting to issue fines for dropping gum or prosecute those for spraying graffiti must do so as part of a wider strategy to combat the problem. Plus, the public must be made aware that they face such penalties if caught defacing our communities. Just running a campaign or only cleaning the streets won't result in a sustained improvement. But bringing those together,working with businesses, schools and colleges plus having well-trained professionals across the sector will.

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