Keeping the roadway in front of your house free of large objects and obstructions is the best way to assist street sweeping crews’ clean-up efforts. You can do this by:
- Remove large sticks and branches from the roadway in front of your house. They will jam and possibly damage the sweeper’s operating system.
- Remove grass or weeds that grow in the gutter. This will reduce debris in front of your house and will improve water runoff during rainstorms.
- Do not sweep anything into the gutter or street. Blowing leaves, grass and dirt into the gutter makes it difficult for the sweeping crews to clean the streets and it is a violation of the City’s Stormwater Ordinance. Rake leaves and either compost them, bag them and place in the dumpster, or take them to the City’s Abilene Brush Center located at 2159 Sand Street off of East Highway 80.
- Avoid wet cleaning activities which can flush debris into the street and gutters. Utilize dry cleaning methods wherever possible and dispose of debris in an appropriate refuse container.
- Properly trim your street trees so the sweeper can clean next to the curb. Trees should be trimmed to a height of 13-1/2 foot at the curb-line. Low hanging branches and shrubs growing into the right of way prohibits the sweeper from clearing debris from in front of your home. This will also allow for easy access of trash pickup vehicles.
- Organize and/or participate in neighborhood clean ups.
Vehicles
Often times, vehicles are parked too close to each other for the sweeper to maneuver between them (one parked car equals nearly three car lengths of space that can’t be swept because the street sweeping equipment must maneuver around it, which can result in debris build up.