A USDOT University Transportation Center

Street Cleaning

Street cleaning programs involve various practices, such as leaf collections or street sweeping, to reduce excess nutrients and pollutants in stormwater runoff.1 Decaying leaves can release significant amounts of nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, which will eventually reach local streams and rivers and degrade the water quality. Therefore, street sweeping can serve as a source reduction method to control pollution.2 This practice involves using mechanical street cleaning equipment, such as vacuum sweepers, or even manual labor to pick up fine or coarse sediment particles and other street debris before it can pollute runoff and waterways.

Considering this strategy will help achieve the goal of the following objectives

  • Less Contamination
  • Less Emissions
  • Less Traffic Noise
  • Connectivity and Inclusion
  • Healthy Destinations
  • Less Traffic Violence
  • Active Transportation
  • Green Space

Transportation lifecycle phases

This strategy is associated with the following transportation lifecycle phases:

  • Construction
  • End of Life
  • Maintenance
  • Material Selection
  • Operations
  • Policy and Planning
  • Project Development

Who's involved

  • Local governments
  • Policymakers
  • Waste management companies
Street cleaning programs involve various practices, such as leaf collections or street sweeping, to reduce excess nutrients and pollutants in stormwater runoff.1 Decaying leaves can release significant amounts of nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, which will eventually reach local streams and rivers and degrade the water quality. Therefore, street sweeping can serve as a source reduction method to control pollution.2 This practice involves using mechanical street cleaning equipment, such as vacuum sweepers, or even manual labor to pick up fine or coarse sediment particles and other street debris before it can pollute runoff and waterways.

How it Helps

Although the effectiveness of street cleaning can largely depend on the type of street sweeping equipment and debris type, there are many benefits of this pollution prevention practice.3 Along with removing harmful pollutants on roadways and parking lots, street cleaning can improve urban aesthetics, water quality, roadway safety, and air quality.

Implementing

Effectiveness:

There are many factors that can determine the effectiveness of street cleaning programs, including the type of sweeper, particle size distribution, surrounding land use, the geographic location, and the frequency of sweeping.3 Street sweeper pollutant removal efficiency varies greatly by these factors. In addition, targeting street cleaning before and after major storms can improve water flow, reduce pollutants in runoff, and minimize flooding risks.

Cost Considerations:

The major cost considerations for a street cleaning program are equipment and staffing.4 Although innovations in sweeper technology can greatly improve performance and efficiency, the additional cost for these technologies can be a barrier for many municipalities. Proper maintenance is an additional expense for these programs, but this is a necessary expenditure to extend the lifetime of street sweepers and further improve efficiency.

Examples

1) Pearland, Texas Street Sweeping Service

Since 2007, Pearland, Texas has had its own street sweeper to meet the city’s stormwater permit requirements and provide environmental and traffic safety benefits. Unfortunately, due to its high costs and other equipment complications, in 2019 the city decided to contract out its street sweeping service.

https://www.pearlandtx.gov/Home/Components/News/News/4337/18

1. Upper Midwest Water Science Center. (2019). Using leaf collection and street cleaning to reduce nutrients in urban stormwater. USGS. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/science/using-leaf-collection-and-street-cleaning-reduce
2. Massachusetts Clean Water Toolkit. Street Sweeping. https://megamanual.geosyntec.com/npsmanual/streetsweeping.aspx
3. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (2023). Minnesota Stormwater Manual: Recommended street sweeping practices for water quality purposes. https://stormwater.pca.state.mn.us/index.php?title=Recommended_street_sweeping_practices_for_water_quality_purposes
4. Stormwater Center. Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet: Parking Lot and Street Cleaning. https://www.stormwatercenter.net/Pollution_Prevention_Factsheets/ParkingLotandStreetCleaning.htm