By Paul Hemsley
Two street scrubbers have been procured from Hako Australia to clean oil and grease stains from Sydney streets.
The City of Sydney bought two City Master 1200 Outdoor Scrubber Sweepers for $120000 each from Hako Australia, a subsidiary of Hako Werke Germany.
Mayor Clover Moore said the machines will make the task of cleaning the city streets “a little bit easier”.
Cleaning the streets will be relatively easier because the council’s existing scrubber has to be carried on a trailer to the cleaning site because it cannot be driven on roads, which adds to costs and logistical problems.
With the ability to drive on roads, the Hako scrubbers can travel straight from the depot to the cleaning site.
According to the City of Sydney, the scrubbers carry two tanks with a total 500 litres of water, allowing for operation for eight hours straight as opposed to the three-to-four hours for the existing scrubber.
City of Sydney manager of cleansing and waste, Sam Gill said each of the scrubbers can clean double the space in half the time of the sole machine the council has currently.
Mr Gill said the scrubbers are a “significant upgrade”.
Council staff will be operating mostly at night, “so people might not even see the machines”.
“But they certainly will see the difference, in the form of cleaner, more attractive malls and footpaths,” Mr Gill said.
A City of Sydney spokesperson said there was a 10-week tender process that included specification, advertising, evaluation, testing and reporting to council, in line with Local Government Tendering Regulations.
The scrubbers are efficient and made to ‘high environmental standards’ including the use of bio-diesel and the use of recycled water, according to a City of Sydney release.
According to the spokesperson, the tender called for alternative fuel options.
“The scrubbers chosen operate using B20 – B50 sustainable biodiesel and have diesel engines that comply with the Euro 5 diesel engine and emission standards,” the spokesperson said.
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