As part of its CitySmart campaign, the City of Brisbane has launched two new weapons to assist with its war on litter.Council has recruited two compact street sweepers – Jonas and Citymaster – for the next six months to help clean the Brisbane Mall and other CBD thoroughfares.
Jonas is a ride on vacuum cleaner that will suck up the litter in the Mall precinct, while Citymaster will clean nearby footpaths and kerb lanes.
Brisbane Lord Mayor, Councillor Campbell Newman, said the compact litter eating machines will provide a higher level of cleaning around parked cars because they are smaller and more agile than traditional road sweepers. He said a six month trial will allow Council to assess the machines and their impacts on people in busy pedestrian areas.
“The new vehicles will operate during the day to add to community awareness about Council’s city cleansing program,” he said. “Citymaster will also work at night, when it does its best work with fewer crowds.”
Council’s CitySmart program has also seen an an extra 132 cigarette butt bins placed around the city, more regular bins, litter patrol gangs and more street sweeping.
In May, Council officers also begun issuing $150 fines to people who litter. Lord Mayor Newman said 437 litter warnings were issued during April’s warning phase.
“People should make a choice between doing the right thing or risking $150 for the sake of a bit of laziness,” he said. “There is simply no excuse for treating the city like a rubbish bin. We should be proud of our CBD area and the impression it makes on visitors to the city.”
For further information on Brisbane’s litter campaign visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au
