The Department of Sanitation took a major step in efforts to reduce its carbon footprint Thursday by unveiling its first all-electric street sweeper in Brooklyn. 

It’s the first battery-operated, zero-emissions broom to be used in the country. 

"Thanks to the DSNY, every resident in New York enjoys clean streets -- but thanks to this all-electric broom, they can also enjoy clean air now as well,” said Project Manager at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Jason Zimbler. 

With over 400 street sweepers in use across the city, the new electric-powered vehicle will join the fleet to help clean the streets of Bushwick as part of a pilot program.

"We’re going to do a lot more of this work to ensure again that our sanitation workers are in the most state-of-the-art equipment that is safe, that is good for the environment,” said City Council member Antonio Reynoso. 

Department of Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson says the sweepers are just as efficient, if not more than the diesel-powered ones. He says they are quieter and will make a huge impact on air quality. 

"Every time we switch to a fully electric vehicle, we are reducing 100% the greenhouse gas impact,” said Grayson. 

They said they hope by the beginning to reduce their carbon footprint, others will follow suit. 

"We’re doing the right thing today in Brooklyn, we're doing the right thing for New York City, this goes nationwide, this goes worldwide,” said Grayson. 

The DSNY says they hope to have a fully electric fleet by 2040 of both garbage trucks and street sweepers.