Mayor Ras J. Baraka today announced that the City of Newark has acquired eight new state-of-the-art street sweeping machines in an effort to internalize street cleaning operations, save money and improve the city’s sanitation services. The new machines will all be in service sometime next week.

“This move will save the City nearly $2 million annually and allow us to monitor and improve on the street sweeping services,” said Mayor Baraka. “The City is committed to enhancing the quality of life for our residents and by eliminating the middle-man vendor, we will be able to respond more effectively to citizen’s concerns about sanitation services.”

The previous contract that the City had with Newark based vendor Dejana Industries was not renewed as a result of many resident complaints and the city’s dissatisfaction with the vendor’s services.

“We are currently preparing to bring on new CDL drivers,” said Khalif Thomas, Director of Public Works. “Newarkers know our neighborhoods and can appreciate the way that the streets should be cleaned. We are depending on their commitment to improving these services.”

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