2021 Sweeping Schedule

• May 17 - 21
• June 14 - 18
• August 16 - 20

Sweeping Days

The week schedule is typically as follows:

• Monday and Tuesday: residential areas south of Broad Street
• Thursday and Friday: residential areas north of Broad Street
• Evenings and overnight: commercial areas and municipal parking areas

How to Help: Move Your Vehicles and Keep the Gutter Clear

Please move vehicles off of residential streets between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. when street sweeping is scheduled for your area. Parked vehicles reduce the effectiveness of the sweepers because most debris and pollutants accumulate in the gutter pan.

In addition to moving vehicles, residents can help by using a broom or shovel and dustpan to sweep the gutter pan when debris accumulates -- including pollen, leaves, trash, and sediment. This is especially helpful in areas that routinely have cars parked on the street. Dispose of debris in the trash, not with yard waste.

Street Sweeping: More than a Convenience

Street sweeping reduces the volume of pollutants entering local streams through the City's 900 storm drain openings. Each cycle of street sweeping collects between 40 and 50 tons of debris from City streets and keeps it out of our streams. The materials intercepted include heavy metals, trash, and general sediment. The City anticipates collecting more than 200 tons of debris from five sweep cycles throughout the year.

The Department of Public Works manages many projects and programs to protect our City streams and the Chesapeake Bay from polluted runoff. Storm drain cleaning is a critical part of our maintenance program. Removing debris from the storm drainage system reduces the volume of pollutants entering local streams and improves capacity. In 2016, over 100 cubic yards of debris were removed from the system by cleaning catch basins, sediment traps and pipes. This is equivalent to a debris pile 27 feet long by 10 feet wide by 10 feet high.