Greetings, dear lawn maintenance folks! We want to reach out with some info and to begin working with you towards a cleaner, quieter shared environment.
More than 150 municipalities across the US now limit or prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, moving away from noisy, hyper-polluting gas-powered leaf blowers, toward modern, clean battery-powered models. (Business Insider June 8 2023)
Locally, groups like Quiet Clean Philly and others in Ardmore/Narberth are planning regulation proposals to limit or prohibit the use of GLBs (Gas Powered Leaf Blowers)
California will ban the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers beginning next year, while existing ones may still be used. Washington, D.C., has already done this.
GLBs contribute to severe widespread noise pollution – they can produce up to 100 decibels, which is as noisy as a plane taking off. Their low-frequency noise travels large distances and goes through walls and windows. This causes serious disruptions for folks working at home, children, the elderly, those with health problems and pets: It’s noise you can’t escape, and it often continues for hours at a time, every day.
GLBs harm the workers: they use them for hours at a time and can suffer serious health problems: hearing loss, joint and muscle strains, respiratory disease and more.
GLBs produce toxic air pollution: They emit high levels of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. No one wants to breathe that!
One group, Quiet Clean D.C., reports that battery-powered blowers are cheaper to run and maintain than GLBs over time. Also, as more manufacturers are introducing battery-powered blowers prices are coming down.