For the first time in over 25 years, a comprehensive, grant-funded national test of street sweeper performance took place the second week of July, marking a pivotal moment for the power sweeping industry. Designed and conducted by WSA’s Director, Ranger Kidwell-Ross, along with noted testing authority, Roger Sutherland, the testing process was administered by the City of Santa Barbara with NOAA/Sea Grant funding. The purpose of the testing initiative was to rigorously evaluate how effectively different sweeper technologies remove pollutants—including the increasingly scrutinized microplastics—from our roadways.
The test is important: The last national sweeper test, conducted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) more than two decades ago, is widely regarded as outdated and insufficient. Its broad certification standards failed to distinguish real performance differences, especially for fine particulate and microplastic removal. Many sweepers were labeled “PM-10 Certified” even if they left significant small-micron pollutants behind.
More recent studies in Minnesota and Florida have shown that street sweeping is a whopping five-to-seven-times less expensive than other methods for removing pavement-based pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus. Yet, these studies didn’t separate results by sweeper type, leaving a gap in actionable data for municipalities.
With microplastics now a major environmental concern, this test aims to quantify how well sweepers can remove these tiny particles before they reach waterways. The protocol simulated real-world conditions, using color-coded microplastics and various , smaller, particle sizes to assess pickup rates for regenerative air, mechanical broom, and vacuum sweepers.
The results will be shared with the stormwater community, municipal agencies, and regulators, with the goal of affecting future funding and regulatory decisions. Demonstrating the effectiveness of modern sweepers can drive new business and expand the industry’s role in water quality management.
Although manufacturers were encouraged to participate directly, only Fayat (RAVO and Dulevo) and Merit Sweeprite chose to do so. Although initially disappointing, since it was thought that the newness of the machines would directly impact the credibility and utility of the results. However, since the sweepers actually in use are seldom brand new, the results of the mixed testing between several new and other more well maintained — but aged — sweeper models, may provide insight to to quality of sweep provided as sweepers age.
Ultimately, this test should be seen as more than a technical evaluation—it’s a chance for the power sweeping industry to showcase its essential role in protecting America’s waterways and to secure its place at the forefront of stormwater pollution control.
