If you’ve ever passed a street sweeper while it was sweeping the road—that large brush in front of the vehicle slowly whisking everything up and away into a holding tank—you’ve likely not given the purpose of this vehicle a second thought. It’s sweeping the streets, right? Well, there’s a lot more to it, and street sweepers play a vital role in protecting our lakes and other waterways and minimizing the dangers of flooding.
The Benefits of Street sweepers
Street sweepers certainly clean up the glass, paper, plastic, and aluminum litter that is thrown or blown into roadways, but that’s not all they do. Street sweepers definitely sweep the streets clear of litter and debris, but they serve a much more important function than just improving the curb appeal of a community.
They also sweep up sticks and leaves, and other debris, like lawn clippings and sediment. Most importantly, however, street sweepers sweep up contaminants like fertilizers and pesticides, oil and grease, and heavy metals which keeps those contaminants from washing into the storm drains and out to waterways where they would act as a pollutant.
Contaminants collect on our roads from vehicles, lawn work, construction, industry, and more. Every time you use the brakes in your vehicle, you’re leaving brake dust behind on the street. Every time you over-fertilize your lawn or blow lawn clippings into the street, you’re introducing a contaminant into the environment that can contribute to an algae bloom down the line in whatever waterway that receives your community’s storm drain runoff. Street sweepers pick up a large amount of those contaminants and keep them from becoming pollutants in our waterways.
Street sweepers also pick up sticks, leaves, and other natural materials that find their way into our roadways. This keeps these materials from clogging storm drains and sewers during heavy rains and decreases the chances of localized flooding. It also saves on having to clear storm drains and sewers as often, which saves manpower for municipalities.
At Tucker Paving, we have almost 30 years of experience in the asphalt and concrete paving industry. We put our expertise to good use for residential, commercial, and municipal clients alike. Contact us today by calling (863) 299-2262, or fill out our contact form online, to find out how we can assist you with your next concrete or asphalt paving project!
