The street sweeper has a history dating back to the Industrial Revolution. In the mid-1800s, Manchester, England, was one of the busiest, most developed, and, as a consequence, dirtiest cities. At that time, there were crossing sweepers: people whom you paid a small fee to sweep a clear path for you as you walked about the city. In order to solve the problem, in 1843 Joseph Whitworth invented the mechanical street sweeper, which was pulled on the back of a horse-drawn cart. A few years later in the U.S., Charles Bishop invented and then patented the country?s first street sweeping machine. John M. Murphy is credited with inventing the first motorized street sweeper machine, although it was developed in partnership with a larger company; together, they formed the Elgin Sweeper Company, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, street sweeper trucks and machines are used in most large cities, and many small ones. Contemporary street sweepers are mounted on truck bodies, and work more like a vacuum than their old-fashioned broom-and-box counterparts. In fact, over 90% of the street sweepers in use today are this type. Street sweeper rental has become a growing business; over $42 billion in annual revenue in the United States can be attributed to the road and highway maintenance industry. There are over 9,000 companies that offer road sweeping services or parking lot cleaning, employing approximately 135,000 Americans.
Road sweeping services help to keep a neighborhood or commercial area clean and attractive, but it also prevents pollution and increases the quality of life. Recently, a National Water Quality Inventory reported that runoff from urban localities is a leading source of water quality impairments to surveyed estuaries. Not only does this affect water quality for humans, but for wildlife as well; the ecosystem?s balance is directly related to the cleanliness of the area. Other pollutants common to highly-populated areas like DC street sweeping for toxic chemicals, grease and oil, landscaping chemicals, road salts, and more. Parking lot cleaners are also important because these areas are especially unsanitary; people often empty the trash from their cars here.
Street sweeper rental can make a difference in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Effective programs can eliminate several tons of garbage and pollutants annually.