Town tackles graffiti as a team

A new line of soon-to-be-launched graffiti-removal products from 3M has played a pivotal role in a community initiative in Bracknell

The problem of ugly graffiti slogans and tags spray-painted on walls is notoriously difficult to address. One local authority that has taken a pro-active approach to graffiti is Bracknell Forest Council. According to head of environmental services, Janet Dowlman, the council has applied graffiti-resistant coatings to some of its 79 underpass walls and painted attractive murals on others. As a result, Bracknell Forest Council won Beacon Status in the 1990s and became a case study demonstrating best practice by a local authority.

However, this move to prevent graffiti has had an unfortunate side effect. Deterred from targeting council property, the graffiti vandals have begun spray-painting their tags on private walls and fences instead. Since this is outside the council's remit, it fell to the local residents to react, so they banded together to form an action group.

Chairman Nigel Dumbrell says: 'I've lived here for 14 years and there has always been a problem with graffiti. Vandals see a plain wall and regard it as a blank canvas. When we began our initiative to tackle the problem we had no money at our disposal and had to beg, steal and borrow, but local companies and organisations have gone beyond the call of duty to help us'.

Working together Bracknell Forest Council has played a key role in the project. 'When the community group approached us, we decided to work with them to try to solve their problem,' says Dowlman. 'With the help of our contacts, contractors and local companies, we have been able to facilitate the work.' However, removing graffiti also requires the use of specialist products.

Fortunately, Bracknell-based 3M heard about the initiative and offered some of its soon-to-be-launched graffiti-removal products to try free of charge. 'The new 3M products are significantly different from other graffiti-removers on the market,' says Richard Jones, European market development manager.

'Traditional chemical removers tend to be corrosive and flammable which means they pose a serious risk to health,' explains Jones.

'Meanwhile, greener alternatives are perceived as being less effective. So we felt there was a real gap in the market for a product that was effective yet safe for cleaners and safe for the environment.' 3M's GR1500 and GR3000 both carry the signal word 'Warning', unlike many other graffiti removers on the market that carry the word 'Danger'.

Neither product contains NEP (N-Ethyl-pyrrolidone) or NMP (N-Methyl-2- pyrrolidone), which are widely used in graffiti removers and can pose a health risk. 100 per cent of components in GR1500 and greater than 90 per cent in GR3000 are biodegradable by OECD 301, and both are REACH-compliant.

The new 3M products, due to be launched during the first quarter of 2013, can be used on various surfaces including brickwork, concrete and plastic and are capable of removing aerosol spray paint, permanent marker, lipstick, crayon and emulsion paint.

'The products also have very low odour, which is unusual for graffiti removers,' continues Jones. 'All in all we believe we have struck a good balance between safety and performance.' The graffiti-removal work in Bracknell was carried out free of charge by highways services provider Ringway who manage the council's Streetcare contract.

'We took the decision to assist with the clean-up as part of our corporate social responsibility work,' says Ringway Bracknell contracts manager Jimmy Conn (below right). 'We found the 3M product to be very impressive. Within half an hour we had turned a wall that was quite shabby and distasteful into something that was much more attractive.

'In fact, 3M's Graffiti Remover was head and shoulders above other systems we have tried in terms of speed, cost and labour time. It is also environmentally-friendly and safer to use than other products we have tried.' According to Dumbrell, cleaning up graffiti is a continual challenge because it is impossible to tell where the offenders will strike next. The group is therefore developing an educational programme for use within local schools.

The residents' initiative has been so successful that the project has been put forward for a 2013 Improvement and Efficiency Award in a scheme run by council services provider IESE. Winners will be named at a ceremony to be held on March 6.

Dumbrell is justifiably proud of the success of the scheme, adding: 'This has been a multi-partnership initiative involving companies such as 3M, the council, contractors and volunteers, and all of them have been crucial to its success'.

www.3M.eu/GraffitiRemover