Where it all started
A Street sweeper or street cleaner may refer to either a person’s occupation, or machine that cleans streets. A street sweeper cleans the streets, usually in an urban area.
Street Sweepers have been employed in cities since sanitation and waste removal become a priority. A street-sweeping person would use a broom and shovel to clean off litter, animal waster and filth that accumulated on streets. Later water hoses were used to wash the streets. Machines were created in the 19th century to do the job more efficiently.
Today, modern street sweepers are mounted on truck bodies and can vaccum debris that accumulates in streets.
Extract – ‘The history of street cleaning’ by WF Joubert (Swys Joubert)
People sweeping the street in heavy weather, (Tokyo, Japan 1930)
Manchester street sweepers – 1865
Street cleaning cart near Arno, (Florence 1958)