How Street Sweeping Contributes to Environmental Sustainability

, it can cause problems for pedestrians, runners, and cyclists, who may slip, trip, or fall. Street sweeping removes these hazards and promotes safety for everyone in your community. Sweeping also minimizes the spread of diseases like cholera and typhoid that thrive in dirty environments.

Sweeping also helps protect the environment by reducing air and water pollution. Left unchecked, dirt, dust, debris, and pollutants can easily make their way into the atmosphere, where they can cause respiratory problems for people living nearby. When they wash away in rainstorms, these materials can also enter rivers and other bodies of water, damaging habitats, and contaminating drinking water supplies. Sweeping also reduces sediment buildup in storm drains, which can lead to localized flooding during rainstorms. It eliminates yard waste items (like grass clippings and weeds) that contain nitrogen and phosphorus, contributing to algae growth in waterways. Lastly, it prevents hazardous materials from entering the groundwater supply through drainage systems that could be used for drinking water.

Safety

Street sweeping is an essential part of the overall maintenance of your community. It’s a necessary service that can help prevent slip-and-fall accidents and make your community safer for pedestrians, motorists, and everyone who visits your neighborhood or shopping center. Dirt, leaves, cigarette butts, trash, and debris can cause severe injuries to anyone who walks on or drives over them. A routine sweeping plan can help you maintain safe roadways, parking lots, and walkways in your HOA or COA.

In addition to preventing injury, a regular sweeping plan helps protect drinking water sources and reduce environmental pollution. Toxins that can contaminate our environment by seeping into groundwater or running off into rivers, lakes, and beaches are removed by routine sweeping. It also removes materials that can clog storm drains and impede the flow of rainwater into drainage channels. It is vital for reducing flooding during rainfall and ice in the winter. It also keeps harmful substances out of the air, preserving local habitats and wildlife.