Driven by its desire to maintain clean streets in communities where it operates, Goscor Cleaning Equipment recently deployed resources to help clean Johannesburg CBD streets ahead of the FNB Joburg 10K CITYRUN. 

Ahead of the FNB Joburg 10K City Run, which coincided with Heritage Day on the 24^th of September, Goscor Cleaning Equipment (GCE) deployed its innovative cleaning equipment and staff to help clean the streets of Joburg on Saturday 22 September. Joining Goscor for this noble initiative were several companies that took part in the City Run.

Gregory Venter, MD of GCE, says it’s important for businesses to play an active role in communities they operate in. GCE also undertook a same initiative ahead of the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN, which took place in May this year. The company will also embark on a same initiative ahead of the FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN, scheduled for the 14^th of October this year. The three races form part of the FNB Run Your City Series.

Ahead of the Joburg event, GCE cleaned the inner city streets where the race was going to be run. Starting at the FNB Bank City, the route twisted and turned through streets such as Lilian Ngoyi, Jeppe, Wanderers, Eloff, Jan Smuts, Nelson Mandela Bridge and Miriam Makeba, before finishing at the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown.

“At Goscor we believe that business always needs to give back to society. Our team in Cape Town had such a great day out when we had the same cleaning initiative ahead of the FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN in May this year. The experience also helped them to better understand the plight of the less fortunate,” says Venter.

Venter adds that not only does street cleaning improve the aesthetics of the city, but it reduces the risk of accidents during the race. Clearing the streets of debris minimises slip and fall accidents, as well as protecting people from dangerous garbage like rusty nails and broken glass.

Venter also believes that the initiative offers a great platform for GCE to showcase the effectiveness of its range of cleaning equipment, mainly the government departments in the three city centres that the FNB Run Your City Series takes place.

Machines on duty

GCE deployed its big MACRO road sweeper. MACRO street sweepers are the most advanced and performing machines for continuous professional use currently available on the market. For years, MACRO technology has focused on four objectives: simple use, consumption reduction, low environmental impact and fast return on investment.

“With our MACRO M60, for example, very large volumes of dry waste can be collected – 6 m³ hopper and 6 000 kg payload is the highest capacity on the market, allowing long working shifts,” explains Venter. “The machine also offers exclusive capability to sweep in unbalanced conditions like sidewalks. The system allows to sweep on bumps with no operator’s action required.”

Joining the MACRO Road sweeper was GCE’s Green Machine Litter Pickups. From downtown spaces to city parks, this popular line of Green Machines equipment is compact enough to clean almost any outdoor space. “Our Green Machines 400 Series runs with less fuel and noise thanks to its Kubota diesel engine. The machine allows you to cover more area in less time due to reduced dump cycles by compacting waste down to 33% of its original size,” says Venter.

The combined power of the 400 Series’ compaction fan, two-stage dust filtration and water dust control system, allows for trapping of virtually any dust, dirt or debris. The 400 Series’ pulverising impeller devours debris, reducing leaves and litter to one-third of its original size and broken glass to harmless particles the size of rock salt.

With the two-stage Dust Filtration, each stage takes dust out of the airflow. Inside the debris bag, nylon debris screen directs particles and debris down into a standard plastic garbage bag. The washable filter bag controls and contains the fine dust. “The spray jets located on each of the 400 series sweeping brushes and inside the suction tube provide added dust control and can be used to dispense a fragrance in the work area,” concludes Venter.