In my experience (Midwest US) the city usually piles snow up the side of streets, and eventually the city might load the snow into a dump truck for disposal in a field or parking lot.

You mention salt and its ecological consequences. Farming communities hate using salt, so they use dirt, sand, or gravel instead. The goal being that cars still get traction, but don't destroy farmland on the outskirts of town.

Usually when we see snow for 2 or 3 days straight, we clear 1 lane on the street and move onto the next before coming back and clearing anymore snow that fell. Its not all that uncommon that some areas will get plowed once per day so that plows can spend more time on the main streets.

When snow does freeze, we just drive on top of it. I would say my suburb street is burued under 4" of heavily compressed snow and ice right now. We won't see blacktop until early April for sure.