Cleaning of streets and squares

The cleanliness of the city’s streets and squares depends on the reality of each location, which is determined by factors such as transit of vehicles and people, frequency of use and the commercial activity that is carried out there.

Barcelona’s squares and streets are not all used with the same intensity. The cleanliness depends on the reality of each location, which is determined by factors such as the transit of vehicles and people, the frequency of use, the commercial activity that is carried out and whether they are areas of leisure or recreation.

Sistemes de neteja més habituals

Most commonly-implemented cleaning systems:

Manual sweeping: human teams sweep and clean the city's streets.
Mechanical sweeping (with brush machine): small cleaning lorries sweep and vacuum all kinds of dirt.
Mixed sweeping (hybrid format): human teams clean the streets thoroughly with the help of small cleaning lorries.
Water cleaning: small tanker trucks hose down street dirt using pressurised, non-potable water taken from the groundwater.

Tips for keeping the streets clean

The cleanest city isn’t the one that cleans the most, but the one that gets the least dirty in the first place.
Use the rubbish bins.
Rain cannot always be a replacement for cleaning with water. Sometimes, even if it rains, it is necessary to clean with water in order to get underneath cars, around bins, etc.
Do not put bin bags in the small rubbish bins.
Do not throw lit cigarettes into the street rubbish bins.

The following are prohibited in Barcelona...

Dirtying the streets with grease, oils, chewing gum, food waste or cigarette butts.
Attending to physiological needs in the street.
Cleaning vehicles or animals in the street.
Watering plants and shaking carpets or clothes outside at night or causing other kinds of annoyance.
Letting your pet attend its physiological needs in the street.
Ruining urban furniture or façades with posters, graffiti, stickers, etc.