Achieving a leaf-free, edged lawn is now achievable using equipment that is much more beneficial to public health, the environment, wildlife, and worker safety than the ubiquitous gas-powered tools that have dominated in prior decades. Use of electric lawn equipment is on the rise in part because states and localities across the country are taking actions to reduce reliance on gas-powered leaf blowers in particular—including seasonal and time-of-use restrictions, decibel limitations, and outright bans.
The Problem
Efforts to address the harmful effects of gas-powered blowers are driven by myriad concerns—including climate change, air pollution, and public health. The primary culprit is the two-stroke engine that powers most gas powered blowers—a technology characterized by James Fallows writing in the Atlantic as “so crude and old, the level of pollution is off the charts . . . because by design it sloshes together a mixture of gasoline and oil in the combustion chamber and then spews out as much as one-third of that fuel as an unburned aerosol.” This means that leaf blowers are emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases. Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey, puts this pollution into perspective, noting that using a blower for an hour generates just as much pollution as driving a car for 1,100 miles.
Gas-powered leaf blowers also emit a host of other air pollutants associated with a wide range of negative health effects. The pollutants, which include hydrocarbons (an ozone precursor), carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter, and benzene, can be emitted in prodigious amounts, irritating lungs and contributing to a range of illnesses from asthma to cancer. Furthermore, blowers can produce gusts as strong as 280 miles per hour, thereby stirring up pollen, pesticides, and other contaminants (such as pet feces) while further spreading the pollutants they produce and disturbing wildlife habitat.
Noise pollution is also a key concern. At certain decibel levels and durations blowers can cause permanent hearing damage. There is also the strong, low frequency sound that emanates from gas-powered blowers, which is uniquely pervasive. Quiet Communities, Inc. explains that “low frequency sound travels over long distances and penetrates walls and windows,” which accounts for the intrusive nature of the sound generated by gas powered blowers.
Taken together, toxic emissions, airborne contaminants, and high decibel noise pollution constitute a suite of environmental and health risks, particularly for workers who regularly operate blowers. Many of these workers—more than half of whom are Hispanic according to a National Association of Landscape Professionals Foundation study—may not be able to secure appropriate protective measures, disproportionately impacting overburdened communities.
State and Local Initiatives
Leaf blower bans are not a new concept. In fact, trend-setting Beverly Hills banned gas-powered leaf blowers in the 1970s, citing at that time noise pollution as the primary concern. Since then, the case against gas-powered leaf blowers has evolved to include climate change, air pollution, and more, and state-level bans have been increasing across the country. In 2022, D.C. enacted a sale and use ban. California’s sales ban just recently took effect. On another tack, Arizona requires that certain localities restrict blower use to foster compliance with federal clean air standards.
At the local level, approaches also vary. For example, Princeton, NJ, enacted an ordinance in 2021 that restricts the seasons, days, and times of use for landscaping equipment. Palo Alto, CA, set up an app-based citizen reporting system, while in D.C. lawn equipment retailers are required to notify customers about the District’s leaf blower bans. Many ordinances include a provision pertaining to penalties, such as Montclair, NJ’s tiered system of fines for usage violations. And in cities such as Miami Beach, FL, and Evanston, IL, gas-powered leaf blowers have been banned outright. In total, more than 200 towns across the country have some degree of restrictions against their use.
Pushback and Responses
Blower restrictions are not without critics. Many small-business owners of landscaping companies maintain that bans negatively impact their success, explaining that alternatives, such as battery-powered leaf blowers, are not as efficient. With battery charges only lasting a few hours, they are not always able to keep up with the pace and hours of the work. Additionally, electric leaf blowers can cost more than four times as much as gas blowers, putting extra strain on businesses that already have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in now-unusable gas-powered equipment.
Some restriction ordinances attempt to counter the potential financial strain by implementing rebate programs, such as Montgomery County, MD. Other responses have touted the benefits of alternative lawncare approaches, such as raking and mulching, in an attempt to mitigate the need for leaf blowers altogether. And businesses, including those certified through the American Green Zone Alliance, are marketing a more natural, less manicured style of lawn care that eschews gas-powered blowers.
Although new lawn care aesthetic norms may be slow to evolve, it does appear the market for electric lawn equipment is changing quickly. Stanley Black and Decker reports a five-year, 75 percent increase in North American manufacturers’ shipments of electric-powered lawn equipment—a statistic consistent with Market Research Future’s prediction of “widespread adoption of electric variants.” Furthermore, at least one manufacturer, Makita, has pledged to stop production of gas-powered lawn equipment.
Eventually the market may eliminate the need to regulate gas-powered blowers—but until that time, expect more bans and restrictions as local communities take action to address climate change, public health, worker safety, and wild animal welfare.