They’re the unseen heroes of the neighborhood, appearing in the wee hours and disappearing with nary a speck in their wake. Street sweeper trucks are the key to even the busiest of city streets staying pristine in the midst of daily sludge and trash. Oil, grease, pesticides, road salts, heave metal particles, viruses and disease, these are all the reasons cities were once cesspools of illness thanks to unmaintained streets or waste disposal.

Nowadays, street sweeping services and and other types of trash clean up keep that piece of history in the past. Here are some reasons why you should appreciate these modest machines:

• They clear the road. Ever have to dodge a piece of debris that fell off the back of someone’s pick-up? Sweeper trucks are the reason That unsafe stuff doesn’t stick around. Sweepers don’t just sweep (though 9%0 can), they vacuum, too. They’re the city’s maid.
• They’re good for the economy. The U.S. urban and highway maintenance industry has 9,224 companies that employ over 340,000 people and sweep in $42 billion in revenue each year. Manufacturing the machines for the job also generates an extra $283 million.
• They’re good for the environment. On of the first types of pollution kids learn about today is runoff, when all the grim in the street gets washed into drainage pipes and back into the environment, where urban pollutants are poison. Street sweeper trucks pick up several tons of this would-be pollution for proper treatment and disposal. Road pollution causes $4-$20 billion in environmental damage every year.
• They’re good for your business. Customers expect neat, clean stores, and that goes for the storefront, too. Most customers think a clean parking lot and sidewalk are just as important as inside cleanliness. An attractive curbside will attract customers inside.
• They pick up after your block party. Yes street sweeper rentals can be hired for more than just regular maintenance! Parking lot sweeping services, parking garage cleaning (to make them a little less creepy at night), event clean up; if you have a large-scale outdoor mess, a local street sweeper truck can help you out.

Clear roads are one of those things we never really think about. We just expect them. But like many other types of maintenance they’re crucial to orderly and healthy life near roads. Appreciate the sweepers in your life.