Maintaining clean streets in any city has never been a walk in the park. However, for governments that co-ordinate their street sweeping programs with ERP, the load is far much less. Street sweepers are responsible for cleaning debris and other pollutants that have collected in our streets. Some of these are tiny and may escape the human eye.

They include chemical deposits like fluids from automobiles and even copper residue from brake pads. They not only endanger our neighborhoods but also pollute watersheds where they drain. Larger debris such as leaves and papers end up clogging storm drains and result in flooding when the rains come.

Coordinating street cleaning with ERP

Various governments have injected millions of dollars into ERP implementation. The functionality of ERP has been proven in such categories as supply-chain, financial and customer-related management, human resource and project management and even manufacturing. Several governments have continued to incorporate an ERP software into many, if not all, of these industries. One may wonder why and what benefits this has reaped for various institutions.

A well-implemented ERP system facilitates better customer service, streamlined supply chain processes and the ability to share data across various departments in an organization. In money matters, ERP promises better financial tracking and forecasting as well as huge cost savings by allowing for accurate injection of funds.

At the end of the day, institutions get to enjoy better alignment of the organization’s strategies and the implementation process.When it comes to keeping the streets clean, Enterprise Resource Planning has been an essential part of the process. The software integrates various aspects of street cleaning into one system thus allowing easy monitoring.

Aside from the broom reaching the ground, other factors such as budgetary allocations, sweepers schedules, purchase and maintenance of equipment, training and supervision of personnel are all necessary to achieve neat streets. Additionally, there are specific issues to be considered to determine the method of cleaning to be employed, the time and frequency to be adopted as well as the routes to be used.These include:

1. Amount of litter to be collected.
2. Type of predominant clutter.
3. Nature of the surface being cleaned.
4. When there is least human and vehicle traffic.With several truck drivers, street sweepers and white wings bearing the responsibility of keeping the streets clean, adequate supervision is essential.

Maintaining clean streets requires the implementation of a broad approach. It includes but is not limited to gang sweeping, hose flushing, beat patrols and machine cleaning, which may either involve sweepers or flushers. Gang sweeping and beat patrol involves the use of street cleaners who manually collect litter and dump it in appropriate sites. It facilitates efficient cleaning of busy commercial streets, park strips and sidewalks as well as pavements with rough surfaces. Machine flushing involves the use of water under high pressure to drain dirt to the gutters. Machine sweeping, simply the automated use of brooms, is especially efficient since it is fast and thorough. It also keeps debris away from the gutters.

Hindrances to efficient street cleaning

The biggest obstacle mechanical street sweeping programs face is the presence of large obstacles in the streets including vehicles, garbage cans and basketball hoops. To minimize this, local governments avail residents with information on street sweeping schedules. Most commercial areas are swept during the night when there is little human and car traffic. Residential areas are often swept during the day.

Residents are urged to clear the clear the streets of any large obstacles to facilitate fast and efficient cleaning of our streets. The public is also requested to avoid piling clutter in the streets or blowing it towards the gutters to avoid blockage. In some cities, rewards are offered for reporting illegal dumping in the neighborhoods.Some surfaces also prove rather difficult to clean.

Wet and muddy surfaces as well as rough pavements require specialized attention. Machine sweepers cannot be used in such areas since they prove ineffective. Manual labor is employed instead and it is rather tedious.The amount of money governments allocate to street cleaning also determines the efficiency of the process. Poor budgetary allocation strain the local city councils, which reflects in the personnel and equipment employed.

Natural factors such as harsh weather and poor topography are also barriers to top notch neatness of the streets. Removal of snow, flooded streets as well as rough terrain proves difficult for the street sweepers, both machine and manual.Pesky traffic conditions pose huge problems for street clean-ups. In some areas, night parking hinders the efficiency of the sweepers.

Cleaning the streets of any neighborhood has its challenges. Several stakeholders need to work together to ensure neat alleys. ERP software presents the relevant authorities with an opportunity to bring together all those stakeholders for efficient street clean-up. The public also has a responsibility to avoid intentional littering. At the end of the day, who doesn’t want to have sparkling clean streets?