Help Improve San Francisco’s Neighborhood Cleanliness During Shelter in Place
For immediate release: April 28, 2020
Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045
Help Improve San Francisco’s Neighborhood Cleanliness During Shelter in Place
Just Say No to Littering and Yes to Picking Up After Your Dog and Moving Your Car
San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Public Works crews remain on the job 24/7 cleaning City streets and other public spaces during this unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency. Their work is augmented by many nonprofit Community Benefit District and Business Improvement District workers who provide additional steam cleaning and street sweeping services.
But keeping San Francisco clean also requires the cooperation of the people who live and work here.
Here are three things people can do to advance neighborhood cleanliness:
- Toss disposable gloves, masks and tissues in the trash – not on the sidewalk or in the street.
- Do the right thing and pick up after your dog. Carry poop bags when you walk your four-legged buddy and place the waste in a garbage bin.
- Move your car on street cleaning day. Under San Francisco’s shelter-in-place health order, the City hit pause on issuing parking citations for failure to move vehicles during scheduled street cleaning times. However, if you are able to leave your home, please move your car.
“San Franciscans are going above and beyond during this pandemic to stay home, flatten the curve, and protect the health of our fellow residents,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “During this time, we all still need to make sure that we're doing our part to keep our neighborhoods clean. Cleaning up after your dog, making sure you don’t litter and, if possible, moving your car so Public Works can sweep the street properly will make a noticeable difference.”
San Francisco’s mechanical street-sweeping operation covers 150,000 curb miles and removes more than 18 million pounds of litter and leaves a year from the curbside. For the program to work most effectively, vehicles must be moved during posted street sweeping times so the broom trucks can do a thorough cleaning. Normally, the SFMTA tickets vehicles that are not moved. During shelter in place, moving cars is voluntary.
Public Works has counted as many 18,000 cars a day that remain parked in the cleaning zones, which has resulted in trash buildup along the routes. Street cleaning crews also have noticed an increase in used disposable gloves, masks and tissues littering the ground.
“Our street cleaning crews take their role as essential workers seriously during this global health emergency. They have great pride in the work they do serving the people of San Francisco. But they cannot get the job done alone,” said Acting Public Works Director Alaric Degrafinried. “We are asking our community partners to pitch in to improve the cleanliness of our city. It’s a wonderful way to be a good neighbor.”
Press Releases
Release Date
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Mission
San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. Keeping San Francisco beautiful, safe and sustainable.
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