Best Practices for Spring Street Sweeping

Many municipalities have annual street sweeping programs scheduled every spring to clear off the detritus of winter and encourage clean, environmentally friendly neighborhood streets. The sweeping of thousands of miles of roads can remove thousands of tons of debris. If you are planning a new street sweeping program, here are some of the best practices for adopting one and the best street sweepers to use.

Implement Proper Prep

Though many street sweeping programs happen at the same time every year in neighborhoods, residents don’t always remember when this event is happening. Whether your street sweeping is new or reoccurring, put flyers under windshields and populate as many street signs or telephone poles with “No Parking” signs to make it easier for street sweepers to reach all areas and be as thorough as possible.

Know Where and When to Sweep

You want to schedule sweepings in areas where storm drain plugging or high pollutant loadings occur. This can happen every spring to rid roadways of the sand and salt from winter, but should also be considered after special events like parades and street fairs and after street repair projects that lead debris on road surfaces.

Remember the Benefits

Remember, every sweeping pass offers the following benefits:

• Pollution control: Manages environmental concerns and mandates and helps maintain the health and safety of the community. The street sweeping of dust particulates alone can reduce health problems.
• Protects roadways: Removes sand and dust from roadways that act as abrasives on pavement. This one effort can prevent roads from getting worn down faster than necessary and save on community costs for highway repairs.
• Helps sewers: Removes pollution from roadways that could end up as storm water runoff and block sewers and drains. Street sweeping has long been recognized as the first line of defense to reduce stormwater pollutants from entering storm conveyance systems and receiving waters.
• Civic pride: Everyone wants to live in a place that looks nice. Street sweeping improves the aesthetics of the community and sense of civic pride, naturally encouraging people to invest more in where they live and want to take care of it.
• Cost effective: If you can avoid sewer problems, roadway damage, and other infrastructure complications because of street sweeping, the investment in this kind of equipment is absolutely worth it.

Choose the Right Street Sweeper

Depending on the type and amount of debris you expect to encounter and the weather conditions, your street sweeping equipment will excel or struggle. Make sure you have the right street sweeping equipment for the kind of sweeping you’re doing.

• Larger air sweepers do better with lighter debris loads.
• Broom sweepers tackle gravel, dirt, and other heavy debris.
• Either a waterless broom or industrial air sweeper can get the job done for city and highway sweeping.

Contact Bell Equipment, trusted dealer of Elgin street sweepers, to discuss your needs and determine which equipment is most effective for your area.