Most residential areas and cities which are prone to snowy winters normally employ a more vigorous road sweeping program after the concluding thaw of spring. Road sweeping prevents the accumulation of debris, road salt, waste and other forms of minerals that enter the storm drainage system.
While road sweeping is generally implemented after the winter months, communities likewise run road sweeping machines prior to and following major holidays, parades, events and other festivities. These events are where most waste and debris are higher in volume which is attributed to the increased human footfalls or presence and activity.
While most people may think that they know everything about the environment and pollution, many are not thoroughly aware of the significance of road sweeping. The role it has in the protection of human health and wildlife actually makes it a very vital factor of a highly populated place like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada.
To help keep roads and watersheds clean in between road sweeping schedules, the following suggestions are given:
Litter and other debris that are found around storm drains must be picked up and placed in properly sealed receptacles or containers to prevent them from being washed into the water ways and from causing floods because they clog up the drainage system.
Street sweeper operators must avoid broken gutters and curbs because this damages the sweeping equipment. Mostly, broken gutters and curbs are paid for by residential homeowners.
Vehicle owners must remove their cars from the road during a scheduled sweeping day, because one parked car is equivalent to a space of three car lengths that cannot be swept clean since the street sweeper should leave adequate room to maneuver and avoid bumping into the parked car.
Car owners should regularly maintain their vehicles to keep it in good condition and avoid the spill of any automotive fluids that washes away into different waterways during storms or strong rains.
Collect and save fallen leaves by raking them up and putting them into proper recycling containers. These could be used to make a compost garden or be used as mulch under bushes and trees. The leaves could also be turned over for collection on the assigned collection day which will likewise be used for compost in the City Parks.
Yard trimmings should be collected and appropriately placed in receptacles or containers which have seals for the following recycled garbage collection day. Avoid re-piling them because this will only be scattered around again before being collected as scheduled.
Trees around curbs should be pruned thirteen feet above the curb so that road sweeping machines do not need to steer clear of low hanging tree branches and be able to do a thorough road sweep.
The deterrence of debris from inflowing storm and sewer drains on the road is a significant aspect in reducing the volume of pollutants from entering the natural waterways. In most cases drainage systems are intertwined with majority of the drinking water systems. Consequently, the debris and pollutants that enter storm drainage systems find their way to the natural watersheds and clean water flow systems, having a negative impact on the natural environment and the human and wildlife that depends on it. Hence, road cleaning makes a great contribution in having a safe and green kind of environment despite the steady movement of civilization.
nir dotan is a writer and promoter of road sweeping and road sweeping
