MAKING a "clean sweep" of things is a new year's tradition.
Now Sutherland Shire Council is taking it to a new level by reintroducing a higher level of street sweeping services.
This follows a six-month trial when the council reduced its road sweeping fleet from five trucks to two.
The council also took into account the findings of a survey that evaluated the level of street sweeping services required by the community and the costs involved.
"This demonstrated very clearly that residents value council's street sweeping services highly and we have listened to them," mayor Kent Johns said.
"While the cost of street sweeping is substantial, there is no doubt the combination of the environmental factors, safety and the look of our streets and centres is too important.
"The community survey emphasised that the primary concern for residents has been the look of the streets, leaf litter build-up around drains impacting on their efficiency and ability to cope during storms, and also litter [being] washed into waterways.
"The council's operational staff confirmed the increased need to clear waterway drainage traps and drains of debris in the past six months.
"Clearly, we need to do more street sweeping to meet the expectations of the community and that's what we will do," Cr Johns said.
"Council accepts that feedback and we will be increasing our street sweeping fleet to five vehicles as well as sourcing interim contract arrangements until the new vehicles arrive.
"Council will also investigate the best way to cater for seasonal changes and storm events in the future," he said.
There is 1500 kilometres of kerb and guttering within the Sutherland Shire, of which 52 kilometres is in central business districts.
In May last year the council reduced its large road broom fleet from five to two trucks while keeping its small road broom operation.
Since the reduction of the road brooms from five to two the council received 262 complaints from residents about unswept streets.
This compared with 153 complaints for the same period in 2013 when the five sweepers were in use.
This equated to a 71 per cent increase in dissatisfaction.
The complaints were spread over 32 suburbs with Engadine, Bangor, Caringbah, Gymea, Grays Point, Sylvania and Menai having the most complaints.
The survey also found that having only two large road brooms would result in more pollutants entering the waterways.
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