News / Bristol Waste
Bristol Waste Big Tidy project reaches every ward in the city
In what Bristol Waste is calling a ‘milestone moment’, a four year Big Tidy project has finished giving a ‘deep clean’ to every area of Bristol.
Over four years, the project visited all 34 wards in Bristol, cleaning 1,823 streets, removing 815 fly tips and 11,217 illegal graffiti tags, and giving out 640 fixed penalty notices.
The Big Tidy was launched by mayor Marvin Rees in 2019 in the hopes of ‘bringing back the sparkle’ to Bristol’s streets.
is needed now More than ever
As part of the Clean Streets campaign, a team of street cleaners, ‘graffiti removal experts’, enforcement officers and community engagement officers were let loose on Bristol’s streets.
The project has seen everyone from Bristol Bears to school children join the effort, with a community centre in Easton undergoing a major revamp after graffiti was removed from its walls.
Easton Community Centre before the Big Tidy… – photo: Bristol Waste
…and after – photo: Bristol Waste
Last summer saw some of the project’s largest litter picks. A total of 212 young people from the National Citizen Service scheme took to the streets of Easton and Lawrence Hill to clean up litter.
However not everyone is pleased about the project. An Instagram page with a growing number of followers, entitled Bearpit Gallery, shares photos of graffiti in and around the Bearpit.
In one of their posts, they said: “The Bearpit was “cleaned” by the council, ‘cos a #commons for creativity & expression is just too much…”
“We need communal spaces if we want community”.
View this post on Instagram
The group have a particular problem with the council’s graffiti clearance, which they argue is hypocritical in a city that both prides itself on and profits off of a vibrant street art tourism industry.
“Bristol Waste is still pushing “anti-graffiti coatings” when it’s solved nothing where it’s been used,” they said.
“Again, Bristol Waste are commissioned to attack graffiti, whilst BCC does nothing to support the scene.”
? @BristolWaste were out yesterday cleaning graffiti opposite Star & Garter pub in Montpelier. An onlooker said they were just ‘giving graffiti artists a blank canvas’. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/YC84avBtvC
— Mia Vines Booth (@miavinesbooth) February 21, 2023
Referencing the white anti-graffiti paint used by the council, they said: “Not only does it fail at its main task, its tacky surface attracts and holds onto dust and grime.”
The Big Tidy has seen huge community engagement however, with 1,196 volunteers taking part over the four years, with 90 litter picks and 700 pledges made by residents to look after their areas.
Although every ward has now been visited, Bristol Waste say their team will continue to clean Bristol’s streets.
“The street cleansing crews will be visiting more key areas around the city that have been identified as needing the Big Tidy sparkle,” a spokesperson said.
Residents can also get involved with the project through joining litter picks, working with neighbours to keep their street clean, or making their own Big Tidy pledge here.
Main photo: Bristol Waste
Read next:
- Bristol Bears swap rugby balls for litter pickers in Big Tidy mission
- Bristol’s six best graffiti artists (who aren’t Banksy)
- Graffiti makes railway station look like ‘the Bronx’
- Plans to introduce waste disposal fees could lead to more fly-tipping
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