Road sweeping is a fairly common sight in London. Thousands of cars pass through roads every single day. You can just imagine the level of wear and tear that the streets have to endure. Vehicles aren’t the only ones that abuse the streets. People throw in their rubbish on drunken nights or lazy afternoons.
And because we see road sweepers take after our rubbish anyway, it is easy to take this type of service for granted. In reality, road sweeping services actually do a lot more than just making sure the streets stay pretty and neat. There are many other benefits to street sweeping, but the chief among all of those advantages is the positive impact it has on the environment.
In this blog, we are going to take you through all the benefits that road sweeping services have on the environments. Aside from that, we will also touch on how eco-friendly road sweeping is. How different is it from ordinary road sweeping? More importantly, how can you participate in making road sweeping services more effective? Discover all the answers to these questions by reading on.
Keep the Rubbish Out of Sight
Let’s start with the basic reason why road sweeping exists – to keep our streets clean. Every day, the average Brit tosses about 1.4 pounds of rubbish on the streets. That might not seem like a lot, but throw it in together with a hundred thousand other more people who also throw in some of their rubbish, and you’ve got a pile that would be very hard to get rid of.
Fortunately, you don’t have to drown in a pile of rubbish, thanks to road sweepers. They make sure that the rubbish on the streets doesn’t get out of hand. Regular street sweeping can change the entire look of the neighbourhood. It also poses some health benefits, too. Now, you might be asking how all this affects the environment? For that, we will have to move on to the next section.
Discourages Careless Rubbish Disposal
When people see so many litters lying on the floor, they will be more enticed to throw in their rubbish, too. Such is the funny way that the human mind works. In a study by Rangoni and Jager on the social dynamics of littering, they found that when people see litter all over the streets, they feel less guilty about littering themselves even when there are rubbish bins in the vicinity. The consequence for public littering is not felt if they can physically see that the streets are dirty anyway.
On the other hand, whenever people see clean streets with little to no litter, they are more cautious about throwing rubbish. More surprisingly, people who walked on streets with no litter are more likely to throw their rubbish in the designated bins.
The study just proves how powerful road sweeping can be. Keeping our roads clean is more than just keeping up with appearances. It can also serve as an encouragement for passersby to do their part – by throwing their rubbish in the proper bins or keeping it in their pockets if they can’t find bins.
There are so many horrors that hide behind litters on the streets. For one, they can be carriers of dangerous substances that can seep into the ground and poison plants and other living things that used to thrive on the ground. These chemicals and substances can also penetrate the water system and wash out into the sea. Fishes and other marine animals will be the first ones to feel the brunt of this poorly-handled rubbish situation.
Support Public Health and Safety
Perhaps one of the most important reasons to have the roads cleaned by road sweepers is to prevent accidents caused by litters and topsy-turvy bins. Leaving rubbish on the road can leave pedestrians and drivers vulnerable to skidding, sliding, and colliding with other automobiles. These accidents can be dangerous not only to the people, but to the environment as well.
Road accidents can result in gas and fluid leaks, too. These harmful chemicals are released into the environment, poisoning grasses and other neighbouring plants. If the accident happened near an area with wildlife, they can also be in danger.
Vehicle collisions can sometimes lead to oil spills. Even though they don’t happen as much as the previous example, the environmental repercussions are just as dire. Major oil spills due to collisions can penetrate through the ground and harm the land. The effects are even more harmful when the spill happens near water.
The environmental impact of road accidents also extends to landfills. Totalled cars are advised to be replaced rather than repaired. Because of this, heaps of car parts end up in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the pieces to decompose.
You won’t have to worry as much when road sweepers are there to make sure the streets are clean and safe. Just imagine all the damages that can happen without the trusty sweeping services.
Lessen Automotive Cleaning or Repair
We have already established that unattended rubbish on the streets can damage cars. But there’s more to this matter than we previously mentioned. Stones, debris, and rubbish left on the street can damage automobiles not only through accidents, but through minor damages.
For instance, rocks can kick up and puncture wheels. Large debris, on the other hand, can force drivers to make a hard swerve, which leads to car accidents. Debris and rubbish that accumulate on the roads will only make things worse for the drivers and their vehicles.
Damage to the vehicles has to be repaired. In some cases, they may have to be replaced completely. As we have mentioned before, doing so would be damaging to the environment since it entails dumping car parts into landfills. It can also spill corrosive substances and other chemicals that have harmful effects on soil, water, and air – all of which can affect the whole ecosystem, destroying nearby trees and wildlife.
Removal of Pollutants
Aside from human rubbish, other materials are found on the streets. Some of the most common materials include crusted materials like soil, sediment, and sand which come from the weathering of bricks, concrete, asphalt, and many other elements. Vegetation and animal carcasses can also find their way on to the streets. Industrial emissions often leave a residue that stays on the surface if left uncleaned.
Pollutants from the streets have been known to have adverse effects on stormwater and air quality. Here, we have a comprehensive list of the pollutants that can harm the environment and the people that come into contact with them.
Potentially Harmful Pollutants Found on Streets
Metals – This pollutant can come from vehicle wear and tear, dust from braking, structural weathering, rusting, among others. Metals that are commonly found on the street include aluminium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc.
Organics – Roads in South London have been reported to have traces of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, and pesticides. These organic pollutants can come as vehicular byproducts. They can also be traced back to vegetation, combustion, plastic production and manufacturing, and motor oil excess.
Nutrients – Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous can be harmful to the environment, particularly to algal blooms (HABs). One of the harmful effects they have on HABs is the change in odour and taste of water, and aggravation of anoxic water conditions. Sources of nitrogen and phosphorous include fertilizers, yard waste, vegetation, animal waste, and fossil fuels.
Particulate Matter (PM) – This type of pollutant can vary in size, from microscopic aerosols to large grits that stay suspended in the air for a long time. The unfortunate thing about particulate matters is that they are inhalable, being 2.5-10 µm (microns or micrometres) in diameter, and thus are extremely dangerous. Particulates are released as gaseous emissions through a number of sources. It can come from traffic, soil erosion, pollen, aerosols, and vehicles.
All these pollutants are very common wherever you go in London. It takes skilled and professional road sweepers to get the pollutant removal job done. But talent and experience alone cannot sweep these pollutants off the streets completely. Some companies even integrate advanced technology into their operations to achieve an efficient, yet still highly eco-friendly, way to sweep the streets. Prevents Flooding Extreme raining conditions can cause gutters to clog up. With all the rubbish and oil that get thrown out every day, it would not be surprising for the sewage to struggle under all the rain and rubbish. All the buildups in the drains will prevent the water from freely running off out of the sewage, leading to flooded roads and dangerously slippery terrain. Flooded roads are not only dangerous to the people driving through them, but they are also detrimental to the environment. Floods can carry chemicals that are on the surface to wetlands and grounds that are near the flooded areas. These chemicals may be harmful to living ecosystems. Another downside to flooding is that it can transport rubbish from the streets to places that are not supposed to have rubbish at all. Forests and vegetation can incur damages due to flood water with a lot of rubbish and harmful materials in them. Better Waste Segregation Companies that offer road sweeping services have to adhere to certain rules and legislation regarding waste segregation. They have the responsibility to manage the waste they have collected from sweeping in accordance with the laws set by the environmental management authority here in the UK. This is beneficial to the environment such that waste is properly managed instead of haphazardly segregated. There is an extra line of defence in waste segregation, making it more accurate and more eco-friendly. In the absence street sweepers, many of us would surely find it hard to navigate the streets without stepping on rubbish. Cases of bacterial and viral infections would multiply by the hundreds, and nearby forests and coastal areas would be left in complete disarray. Street sweepers are indeed essential in our daily lives. If you are thinking about improving the look of your neighbourhood or street, call on professional street sweepers for help. Now, the next question on your mind must be how can these professionals pull off the task of cleaning without compromising the health of the planet? They do this in two distinct ways: through integrating advanced sweeping systems and by using alternative energy sources. How Does Eco-Friendly Road Sweeping Work? Advanced Street Cleaning Technologies Street sweeping technologies are getting better each year, but at the moment, there are three distinct types of technologies that are widely known in the street sweeping industry. These technologies are the Mechanical Broom Sweepers, Vacuum Sweepers, and Regenerative Air Sweepers. These technologies have their unique variations and functions. With highly-trained personnel operating these systems, they can form the most formidable street sweeping team in all of London. Different companies use different variations of these technologies. So, if you wish to get the most out of your street sweeping service enquiry, be sure to ask about the technologies they use to keep their operations efficient and eco-friendly. Alternative Fuels Another important aspect that should be taken into consideration is to choose a service provider that values alternative fuel sources. Right now, compressed natural gas (CNG) powered sweepers are leading the way in making street sweeping a highly eco-friendly service. The services might come at a higher rate, but at least you have the peace of mind that the environment’s health is protected. There are service providers that use alternative fuels in street sweeping. Most of them have made it to the top list of highly competitive street sweepers available in the market today. These sweepers use a range of clean alternative fuels including compressed natural gas, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), among others. With the integration of cutting-edge all-electric compact technology, this mini-beast has proven competitive in the world of street sweeping. Turn to Supasweeep for Reliable Road Sweeping Solutions Supasweeep is a London-based street sweeping company that offers reliable road sweeping solutions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whenever you need street sweeping solutions that efficiently clean up your street in no time, turn to us for swift professional services. As a leading competitor in the market, we only employ the best tools in the industry. We have access to state-of-the-art Johnston road sweepers who can proficiently clean both urban and rural roads. Our highly-skilled team of environmental technicians can also handle motorways, runways, car parks, and construction sites. To book our services, feel free to contact us.