With the exception of the US, Canada, and a few other developed nations, street sweeping in most countries developing, transition, and industrialized is predominantly manual. Street sweeping depends on manual labor even in large cities like Mexico City or Paris, where mechanical sweepers are also used extensively. The use of mechanical sweepers in areas with paved streets is also common in large industrialized cities. Three-wheeled sweepers are mostly used where parked cars are frequently found and maneuverability is desired. Four-wheeled sweepers are used mostly on large thoroughfares or highways where no parked cars are expected.
Women participate extensively in street sweeping in some areas, particularly in Latin America.
This occurs more often in developing than in industrialized countries. Litter baskets are the primary containers used for collection of waste in public places. The design and placement of litter containers has an important impact on municipal cleansing, as there is a direct relationship between the opportunity to dispose of materials in public places and the amount of litter and garbage that ends up on public streets and requires disposal. Also, the primarily manual street sweepers in developing countries use litter baskets for depositing the sweepings. This status of waste workers can be improved with uniforms and good equipment.