Cleaner roads and cleaner road sweepers

Road sweepers play a vital role in keep roads and streets clean and safe. The specialised vehicles can clean and remove debris, dirt, and litter from streets and roadways, with many benefits.

Of course, the obvious benefit is that road sweepers improve the aesthetics of towns and cities, by removing rubbish and debris and keeping things clean. This leads to a more attractive environment, and by extension happier residents and more visitors.

Cleaner roads improve safety for vehicles – removing leaves improves traction for cars and minimises slip hazards for pedestrians. Removing leaves can make hazards like potholes or drains more obvious, especially for cyclists.  Larger debris like twigs and discarded drinks cans also present a significant risk for cyclists. Road sweeping also removes hazardous objects like broken glass, which is a large problem for those travelling by bike, but also larger vehicles and dogs and wildlife.

oad sweepers remove debris, dust and pollutants from road sweepers and therefore help to improve air quality and the health of local residents.

Keeping streets clear is essential for stormwater management. Debris, particularly leaves can block drains very quickly and lead to flooding. Waste and pollutants should also be prevented from entering the drainage system altogether to reduce water pollution and reduce the strain on drainage infrastructure.

Regular street sweeping can also reduce wear and tear on road surfaces, extend the lifespan of the pavement and reduce maintenance costs.

Upgrades

Many local authorities have started to upgrade their road sweepers so they themselves are cleaner by switching to electric.

In July, Horsham District Council added all-electric sweepers to its fleet of street cleansing vehicles for the town centre. The council is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2030 and the new electric sweepers will deliver a reduction in carbon emissions in line with the Council’s corporate priorities to tackle climate change.

With the new sweepers being added to the fleet, the old diesel sweepers will be removed from service. Two sweepers have also been refurbished to run on hydro treated vegetable oil.

Cabinet member for environmental health, recycling and waste Cllr Jay Mercer commented: “I am really pleased that we have taken delivery of our first all-electric street cleaners.

“Not only will they improve air quality, but they will also deliver a reduction in noise pollution which is especially important for residents in the town centre as they operate in the early hours of the morning.

“Another key step for us in achieving our vision for a greener, cleaner environment for the District.”

Sunderland City Council have added ten new street sweepers to their fleet. The new sweepers have a small turning circle, meaning they can access more areas. The sweepers can also be adapted for use as winter maintenance gritters, snow ploughs, and as mini-tractors for load carrying.

The new additions include the council’s first EV sweeper. This is part of a move towards an all-electric fleet.

The council now has 44 EVs, which is ten per cent of their total fleet. Sunderland City Council is also aiming to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The new sweepers can capture particulate matter dust helping to clean up local air quality.

They will be employed across Sunderland including after SAFC home matches and other big events.

Throughout the year, Sunderland City Council will be spending around £4m running, replacing and updating its sweepers, vans, refuse collection vehicles, and grass-cutters and gritters.

Deputy leader of Sunderland City Council and cabinet member for Clean Green City, Councillor Claire Rowntree said: “These new vehicles are a great new asset for so many of our important street and environment works.

“It’s very much one of this council’s top priorities to ensure we have a clean, green, maintained environment and the new sweepers bring many extra benefits for all this work.

“Investing in these sweepers shows how this council is committed to this work but it’s important to add that we can’t achieve this alone. Everyone has a part to play in keeping Sunderland clean by disposing of waste and litter responsibly so that, together, we have and are seen as a tidier and greener city.”

Director of environmental services, Marc Morley said: “We have an ongoing programme of maintaining, replacing and updating all the vehicles that the council needs to help support our city. The new sweepers are part of this investment in having efficient plant and equipment for the many jobs we face.

“As we move forward on lowering our carbon emissions and having more renewable energy sources, we gave consideration to getting an EV sweeper. We can now monitor the EV sweeper and its performance as we expand our low carbon fleet and continue our work creating, supporting, and cleaning a green Sunderland.”

Primary school children in Newcastle-under-Lyme were invited to name the council’s four new street sweepers. ‘Sir Sweepalot’, ‘Candy Brush’, ‘Shaun the Sweep’, and ‘Sweepy McSweeperson’ are powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

The emissions from the new sweepers are 90 per cent lower than diesel-powered ones and are cheaper and easier to run.

David Hutchison, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s cabinet member for sustainable environment, said: “It was great fun to see the children’s enthusiasm and their understanding of green issues was impressive.

“This authority aims to be at net zero carbon by 2030, so moving our vehicles to HVO fuel is one of the many steps we’re taking to achieve that – and of course the new vehicles will help keep our streets clean and tidy.”

In Redcar and Cleveland, local children have named seven of the council’s new street sweepers. Obi-Wan Cleanobi, the Trusty Dusty, Orlando Broom, Clean up Clarence, Sweepasaurus Rex, Sweepy Jean and Clean Cleo will have their names displayed on their sides.

Three of the sweepers run on climate-friendly hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel which produces 92 per cent less CO2 emissions.

Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing, Cllr Barry Hunt, said: “I would like to thank all the young people who got involved and suggested a name for our street sweepers – there were some brilliant entries, and it was a difficult decision to choose the winners.

“The competition was designed to be a bit of fun for young people in the area but also to help raise awareness of littering and encourage residents to take pride in their local neighbourhoods.

“Hopefully when residents see The Trusty Dusty, Clean-up Clarence and the other street sweepers working hard to keep the area clean and tidy it will bring a smile to their face and also inspire them to do their bit to make Redcar and Cleveland an even cleaner and greener borough.”

One of the namers, a six-year-old from Saltburn, said: “I chose ‘The Trusty Dusty’ because it sounds funny - it makes me think of something that cleans and dusts and is trusty to use.  I’ll be very excited to see it on the streets because naming it almost makes me feel like I’m the one driving it.”

The two sisters who came up with the name Clean up Clarence said: “We can’t wait to try to spot the sweeper out and about with our winning name on it.

“We hope it really makes a difference to litter around the area, especially in Redcar near the beach. We hate to see litter that might blow into the sea and end up killing animals. We always pick up rubbish on the beach - it’s so easy to do and then if everybody did it would make a big difference.”