A street sweeper or street cleaner, [1] generically, is a municipal employee, [2] of a private company, dedicated to sweeping the streets and gardens, collecting papers, fallen leaves, cleaning graffiti, etc. in order to keep the streets and public spaces clean. [3]
The street sweeper's work includes two distinct types of activity: manual cleaning, using a broom, dustpan and trolley, especially in pedestrian areas, sidewalks and parks, and mechanical cleaning, using motorized sweepers, leaf blowers and brigade vehicles that cover large areas and transport light waste. These tasks are carried out regularly and in a coordinated manner, and may include the removal of fallen leaves, dust, sand, small urban waste and plant debris. [4]
Due to the nature of their work, street sweepers are exposed to traffic and weather conditions, so specific protective clothing such as gloves, safety footwear and high visibility vest is mandatory. [5] Among the duties of the street sweeper may also be the removal of solid urban waste. [6] [7]
Despite the fact that the occupation of street sweeper constitutes an essential and necessary task for the normal functioning of communities, the very characteristics of the profession and the low qualifications [8] required for its performance have generated a certain stigmatization of the group. [9] For this reason, in some countries, social institutions have adopted aseptic or euphemistic names in an attempt to correct the affront disguising the actual name. [10] Besides, the salaries have been raised up above above the minimum salary. [11]
Many of the pictures used in this article are from street sweepers in Denmark, where for a period of time nobody wanted to do this stigmatic work.. so, this fact forced a raising of wages to the point that the Danes ended up taking the jobs previously reserved for immigrants This happens in more or less socialists countries in the rest of the world. The public salary data reinforces the fact that the financial compensation is very high, which makes the job attractive to Danes. Average Salary: A Street Sweeper Operator in Copenhagen has an estimated average gross annual salary of 512,691 Danish kroner (DKK) (about €68,700 or approximately $73,000 USD gross per year, based on 2025 data). [12]
Misión: Los barrenderos barren y limpian calles, parques, aeropuertos, estaciones y otros lugares públicos y privados (...) Funciones: Barrer calles, parques, aeropuertos, estaciones y otros lugares públicos similares. (...) Recoger residuos urbanos.
Cada día los barrenderos recolectan en promedio 720 toneladas de residuos sólidos urbanos a lo largo y ancho de la Ciudad de México.
