Colorado Springs uses street vacuums to clean up litter

The City of Colorado Springs is trying some new ways to keep the streets clean and free of litter. The city purchased massive vacuums with hoses that literally suck up trash that's been thrown out and blowing around.

Three of the vacuums now belong to the city.  

"It does, though, replace the work of 5 to 7 staff members. And so we are looking to leverage that instead of hiring 5 to 7 people. We're leveraging this vacuum to really go all over the city and pick up a lot of trash along the curb and gutter and sidewalk and things like that," said Colorado Springs Public Works director Travis Easton. 

Two of the trucks will be in continuous rotation on major city streets, while the third will be used for more specialized projects. City officials urged residents to clean up after themselves to keep the city clean.