A street sweeper was a common profession for someone who cleaned streets. Machines were created in the 19th century to do the job of street sweeping. Today, modern street sweepers are mounted behind a truck and can vacuum debris that accumulates in streets. Street sweepers have been employed in cities since sanitation and waste removal became a priority. A street-sweeping person would use a broom and shovel to clean off animal waste and filth that accumulated on streets. Later, water hoses were used to wash the streets.
Manchester, England in the 1840s had become known as the first industrial city. Manchester was home to the first passenger rail service in the world and had one of the largest textile industries of that time. As a result, the city gained the reputation as was England’s unhealthiest place to live. Joseph Whitworth invented the mechanical street sweeper. It was designed with the primary objective to remove trash from streets in order to maintain aesthetic goals and safety.
Modern street sweepers are equipped with sprayers and water tanks which are used to loosen particles and reduce dust. The brooms gather debris into a main collection area from which it is vacuumed and pumped into a collection bin or hopper.
Professional street sweepers no longer exist, but people who responsible for maintaining the cleanliness are called sanitation workers.
References:
http://www.vacuumcleanerhistory.com/vacuum-cleaner-development/history-of-street-sweeper/
https://www.aebi-schmidt.com/en/products/street-cleaning
Photo by Alex Harris
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