Parking lots and streets see a lot of wear and tear throughout the year. Ice expansion weakens road integrity, storms and extreme weather creates heavy runoff, and accidents scatter debris. Debris also finds its way onto the road from overhanging trees and nearby waste bins.
Street debris can accumulate during heavy storms, blocking storm water drains and facilities and causing flooding. Heavy storm runoff is often associated with heavy rain or snow and often causes increases in pollution levels.
Beyond what the average person can see, dirty streets can also collect microscopic pollutants that are carried into water drains, causing problems elsewhere. In fact, the most recent reports from the National Water Quality Inventory say that water runoff from urban areas was the primary source of water quality issues in the areas they surveyed.
Road runoff often includes pesticides and heavy metals, and parking lots aren’t innocent of environmental damage either. In fact, studies show that US Parking space costs $6-$23 in health and environmental damages every year from just air pollution.
Runoff from urban areas usually contains grease, oil, toxic automobile chemicals, septic system viruses and bacteria, and road salts. All of these things harm the environment and the area’s water supply.
Fortunately, parking lot sweeping services and street sweeping services exist to counteract these effects. Sweeper trucks are used to clean debris of streets and eliminate harmful pollutants before they can damage the environment.
The industry that manufactures street sweeping machines for parking lot sweeping services and other power sweeping services generates $283 million in revenue for the US, and the US road and highway maintenance industry accounts for 134,714 jobs.
By making use of street and parking lot sweeping services, you’re protecting the environment and supporting American business at the same time.
