Cleaning the streets of ad clutter

Street Pole Ads are working closely with the Johannesburg City Council and the Metro Police to minimise street clutter by controlling illegal posters, with outdoor media owners dispatching daily clean-up teams that work to a set schedule for the removal of illegal posters and also respond to resident's reports of illegal posters and billboards.

The team removes an average of 1 000 illegal posters and signs every week and has assisted the Council in the removal of more than 300 000 illegal posters over the last three years.

A weekly report is prepared and submitted to the Council, detailing how many illegal signs were removed and who the four biggest offenders were. A Street Pole Ads representative then meets with the Metro Police on a weekly basis to provide details on clean-up activity, including quantities, locations and dates of illegal poster removals.

Additional involvement includes monthly meetings with the Johannesburg City Council, Metro Police, City Power and Johannesburg Roads Agency - who are all members of the Cleanup Committee for Johannesburg;

Brent Herbert, chief executive officer for Street Pole Ads, says: "Cost effective and efficient outdoor advertising opportunities need not come at the expense of aesthetically appealing infrastructures.

"The responsible development of the outdoor media industry in South Africa calls for a commitment to enhancing existing street environments through provision of high quality, standardised opportunities."