Street sweeping, spring cleaning to begin Monday for City of Winnipeg

Spring cleaning for the City of Winnipeg starts on Monday, a massive undertaking prompting an annual reminder to move your car for street cleaning.

Dianne Beaven took her dogs, Jenny and Scout, for a walk on Sunday. She's among the many Winnipeggers noticing a buildup of sand on the roads and sidewalks.

"We've had a miserable winter with all the ice, so now we can have the sidewalks cleaned up anytime," she said.

The City of Winnipeg is set to start its spring cleanup on Monday, which includes street sweeping. 

"And I think that's one of the biggest things, to sweep up and clean the sand. We clean and recycle the sand, but sand creates dust, it blows around, and everyone wants a clean and sparkling city," said Janice Lukes, a city councillor and chair of the Public Works Committee. 

With more than 7,000 kilometres of streets and 1,600 kilometres of pathways to clean -- it's a big task.

Lukes said the effort takes 500 employees and 300 pieces of equipment.

"If your street is really sandy, get your vehicle off the street so that the sweepers can go by and clean it," she explained. "Some areas where there are apartment blocks or very busy roads will have signs up, but that doesn't happen on every street." 

Residents can find out which streets are set to be cleaned by checking the city's residential streets cleanup status map or by using the Winnipeg know your zone app. 

Those who don't move their car could face a $150 ticket or a tow, something Lukes said the city would rather not have to do.

"Well, it costs $6 million for a spring cleanup which is a lot of money, right? So we just hope residents will help out in this." 

City crews can take 5-6 weeks to complete a spring cleanup.

Lukes said if you feel your street has been missed, wait until the May long weekend before contacting 311. 

The City of Winnipeg is also reminding residents not to rake yard waste material or other debris onto streets as it can plug drains.

It said its curbside yard waste collection program will start the week of May 1 for homes in area "A" and will begin the week of May 8 for homes in yard waste collection area "B." 

Residents can also drop off yard waste for free at one of the city's 4R Winnipeg Depots.