Street Sweeping

Protecting Our Lakes One Mile at a Time

• How many street sweepers does the City operate?

  The City operates six street sweepers that maintain 551 lane miles of curbed street.  In a year, these machines can clean the equivalent of 20,000 miles of street and collect 2,500 tons of debris.  This prevents the debris from entering the City’s storm sewer system and the lakes.  

• When will my street be swept?

  The street sweeper operators each have a very large designated zone. The goal is to sweep each curbed street within the city twice a month.

• Can I blow my leaves and grass clippings into the street and wait for the sweeper to pick it up?

  No, blowing leaves and grass clippings into the street or a storm drain violates City ordinance and can result in Code Enforcement fines. During rain events, yard debris placed in the street can easily flow into storm drains which could cause blockages and flooding. Any yard debris that gets into the storm drain can end up as pollution in the lakes which can cause algae blooms and other water quality problems. Leaves piled or blown into the street can also be a safety hazard for motorists. 

  Additionally, street sweepers are designed to remove the average amount of leaf fall from the street. The trucks are not equipped to pick up large piles or thick layers of leaves.

  Please remember that leaves and yard debris are required to be bundled or bagged for pickup by Solid Waste. Please see the Solid Waste requirements for more detailed information. 

   

• What are those educational messages on the side of the trucks?

  The large-scale vinyl wraps ask citizens to help protect Lakeland’s water bodies.  One way is by sweeping grass clippings back into the yard after mowing. This ensures clippings don’t travel down storm drains and end up as a pollution source in area lakes, causing nutrient and oxygen problems.

  The street sweeper educational graphics also ask citizens to pick up their pet waste and dispose of it properly because pet waste can carry harmful bacteria that will pollute the water. All vinyl wraps include the City’s Stormwater Hotline (863.834.3300) so citizens can report any issues that are negatively impacting water quality.

  The street sweeper public outreach campaign is funded by the Stormwater Utility. The Stormwater Utility fee helps with educational programs related to water pollution prevention and pays for various capital improvement projects designed to protect and enhance Lakeland’s water bodies.