Great to See Industry Progress Taking Place
by Ranger Kidwell-Ross, editor
WorldSweeper.com
In 2023, the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance officially established November 16th as National Stormwater Day in recognition of the day the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) program was established on November 16, 1990. In case you don't already know about the impact the MS4 program has had on the street sweeping industry, you will soon find out via one of our articles in this month's newsletter.
Congratulations to Seth Brown, Executive Director and Founder of the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance – and who I held a Zoomcast with last month on 'The Future of Sweeping and Stormwater Management' – on receiving EnviroCert's Distinguished Service Award.
For the rest of this month's editorial, I want to congratulate progress in another area of sweeping: Ten years ago few sweepers were outfitted with graphics educating about the importance of sweeping to water quality, let alone given cutesy names designed to help citizens relate better to the concept.
We may have impacted that situation here at WorldSweeper, in that long ago I touted the importance of citizen education about the environmental value of sweeping. A good way to do so, I wrote, was to have environmentally-oriented art contests among students with an end result of putting the winning entries onto sweeper hoppers.
In the interim, whether as a result of our push in that direction or not, those types of contests have occurred throughout the U.S. Many street sweepers are now adorned with that kind of art. My favorite is the one you see to the right, a sweeper in Darwin, Australia, that is a saltwater design featuring local crabs and crayfish, with reef detail in between. (You can view any of the sweepers shown in a larger size by clicking on their image.)
More recently, cities have begun holding naming contests for their new sweepers. The resulting sweeper names are typically fun and relatable, which also helps people better relate to the activity of street sweeping. That, in turn, helps citizens better understand how street sweeping can help to improve water quality. I've collected some of the sweeper names that have been chosen in various cities in the U.S. – along with the reasons the campaign to do so was generated – and posted them in a PDF file located here.
If your city hasn't yet seen the value of either graphics or naming for your sweepers, I hope you can use the above examples to decide to start doing so. Furthering that type of engagement by your citizens can only prove to be a positive for your sweeping and stormwater programs, as well as be a positive promotion of community involvement.
As always, if you have questions and/or any news of potential interest to the power sweeping community, please let us know. Between this publication, the WorldSweeper.com website, and the World Sweeping Association, we'll be sure to get the information passed along to interested readers.
Good Sweeping,
Editor, WorldSweeper.com
Executive Director, World Sweeping Association
Member, PAVEMENT Hall of Fame
PS If you're a contractor I urge you to check out the many benefits of membership in the World Sweeping Association. Also, if you haven't 'liked' our WorldSweeper Facebook page, what are you waiting for? That's where we offer a variety of industry previews and updates on an ongoing basis.
November Newsletter Contents
(Scroll down to read stories or click on links below.)
- The Impact of MS4 Creation in 1990 on Today's Street Sweeping Industry
- On-Demand Links to Three Groundbreaking Street Sweeping Seminars
- Considerations for Limiting Contractor Contract Liability
- Panel Discussion: Tires, Toxins, and Waterways: Understanding the Impact of 6PPD and 6PPD-Quinone on Our Environment
- Are You Planning for Your Section 179 IRS Deductions?
- Not Exactly Sweeping: Minimizing Employee Stress and Defining Company Policy During the Holidays
The Impact of MS4 Creation in 1990 on Today's Street Sweeping Industry
When the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) program was established on November 16, 1990, it probably wasn't seen by those in the power sweeping industry as an enactment that would change how sweeping was conducted – even spur a revolution in sweeper type and capabilities.
This year, National Stormwater Day was recognized on Friday, November 15, through a free 1.5-hour webinar led by the National Municipal Stormwater Association held that day. In it, stormwater professionals recognized leading stormwater champions, provided an overview of the newly established EPA Stormwater Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Infrastructure Technologies (CESITs) and other priorities for the Agency, shared updates on the 2025 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card for Stormwater, and celebrated the Water Environment Federation's 2024 MS4 award-winning program in the City of Alexandria, Virginia. If you want to watch the webinar on demand, here's the link.
In celebration of the 34th year of the MS4 program's existence – and with this month being the 2nd year of National Stormwater Day – WorldSweeper compiled the many positives that have accrued to, and by, the power sweeping industry as a result of the MS4 designation. As you will read in the linked PDF file, below, these have been numerous and overall very positive.
Check out the many positive sweeping industry changes due to MS4 creation.
On-Demand Links to Three Groundbreaking Street Sweeping Seminars
Three important seminars were given last September at Stormwater Awareness Week. If you didn't make it to see the seminars in 'real time,' the good news is now you can see them at your convenience, on demand. Due to the street sweeping studies that have shown that sweeping streets can be five-to-seven times – or more – effective at removing pollutants before they can run off, the importance of sweeping to the stormwater sector is skyrocketing.
The three seminars specifically about sweeping include the series keynote by WorldSweeper's editor and noted sweeper researcher, Roger Sutherland. You'll also be able to listen to those who studied the pickup capability of a regenerative air sweeper to a mechanical broom unit (spoiler alert: the regenerative sweeper picked up more than twice as much small-micron material). And, in California a helpful rain simulation machine is providing a key way to see how well sweepers do on combating pollutant runoff.
See the three sweeper-oriented seminars here or access all of the stormwater seminars here.
Considerations for Limiting Contractor Contract Liability
Nearly three decades ago, WorldSweeper's editor proposed the idea that sweeping contractors could be the 'eyes and ears' of property managers, since they were there at night when managers were not. Over the intervening years, third party vendors who represent major national chains have put such requirements into their contracts. These essentially are in the form of making contractors liable for a number of incidents that might occur on the property.
In recent times, power sweeping contractors have reportedly been facing a significant increase in lawsuits, many of which are unrelated to the actual services provided. To reduce the occurrence of these negative impacts, companies and individuals in the
industry should consider taking proactive measures before signing contracts.
The linked PDF file was co-developed by WorldSweeper and its affiliate, the World Sweeping Association, with the intent of helping contractors understand best practices in assessing contracts and in being proactive when dealing with contracts they are presented.
Read about the suggested considerations to consider.
Panel Discussion: Tires, Toxins, and Waterways: Understanding the Impact of 6PPD and 6PPD-Quinone on Our Environment
The business of street sweeping started long ago as a 'cosmetic process,' along with the minor health aspect of removing horse-drawn buggy poop from the roadway. Today, the industry is increasingly being recognized as the most cost-effective and efficient way to remove the pavement-based pollutants that are threatening our environment and ecosystem; some say our species' very long term survival.
Two products have been identified as one of the most pressing environmental threats linked to vehicle tires: the use of 6PPD and its highly toxic breakdown product, 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ). This informative webinar will cover the science behind 6PPD, its role in preventing tire degradation, and the environmental hazards posed by 6PPDQ, which has been found to be toxic to aquatic life and potentially harmful to human health.
It has been estimated that 1/3 of all microplastics are comprised of tire and roadway wear. These particles contain toxins and pollutants that are harmful to both human and aquatic biota health with a chemical known as 6PPDq being a particularly impactful chemical for sensitive species of fish – and possibly beyond.
If your organization wants to become educated on these products and the importance of removing them from the runoff stream – information you can use to advance your street sweeping program or that of your clients – then check out the FREE December 3rd webinar jointly sponsored by the companies whose logos you see above.
To get more information, click here. You'll also see the Zoom link and be able to add the webinar to your calendar.
Are You Planning for Your Section 179 IRS Deductions?
Each year some of the sweeper manufacturers remind us to remind you about the IRS Section 179 program. The program provides an ongoing incentive to acquire and install capital equipment.
If you haven't already, now is the time to make plans for taking advantage of the IRS Section 179 tax-saving program. Essentially, Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment – including a sweeper(s) – you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your 2024 gross income.
It's an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves. The 2024 deduction limit is $1,160,000; however, note that this limit is reduced by the amount by which the cost of the property placed in service during the tax year exceeds $2,890,000. And, while we're on the topic, we reprise a link to 92 small business deductions you may now use, plus 11 deductions to avoid...
Read the details on the 2024 Section 179 program or read about the deductions experts say to use and/or to avoid.
Minimizing Employee Stress and Defining Company Policy During the Holidays
The following is a link we provide each November: The Christmas holiday season is one of the most stressful times of the year for both managers and line workers in the public and private sweeping industry sectors. At the same time – given the potential resurgence of COVID 19 as well as the ever-changing requirements for defining non-offensive company policy and minimizing liabilities – it's more important than ever for organizations to develop cohesive holiday plans.
WorldSweeper's editor provides an overview on these topics as they relate to the power sweeping industry, as well as links to stress reduction tips for managers, holiday party guidelines from our legal information section and an end-of-the-year, thought-provoking, view on the documented value provided by what are called 'pro-social employee bonus systems.'
Check out the info.
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