Street sweepers work to clean up the streets of Rapid City

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - While they don’t fight fires or chase down criminals, street sweepers play a key role in keeping Rapid City clean.

In the past three years, the city’s Street Department crews have swept up more than 2,500 tons of trash from the gutter lines.

Crews work in residential areas during the day and main line areas such as downtown Rapid City at night to help minimize the disruption to traffic.

The sweepers pick up materials such as bottles, cups, cigarette butts, and paper items, along with dirt and gravel.

“It keeps it out of our freshwater fisheries, keeps it out of the air quality, and makes our city look better. It’s just a win-win for everyone,” said Dale Pfeifle, city street superintendent for Rapid City.

The materials collected from the streets are recycled.

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