To Blow or Not to Blow (using gas-powered leaf blowers). That was the question I asked in a survey, to which 365 Newtown area respondents responded - including 307 Newtown Township residents. Why did I do this survey and what were some of the responses? Keep reading...
Background
At the 13 November 2024 Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) public meeting, Friends Village residents requested that the township pass an ordinance to ban gas-powered leaf blowers. “This would cut down on exhaust and noise and be safer for workers. The noise and the pollution are major, major problems,” said Tom Cadwallader, president of the Residence Association at Friends Village.
“We’ve been cursed with a lot of leaf-blowing activity at our village and it has really brought it to our attention - the fact that these leaf blowers that use gasoline are creating a lot of noxious fumes, a lot of noise, are very hard on the workers and are more expensive to use than the electric and battery-operated leaf blowers,” said Kip Cherry, vice president of the Association.
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View a video of their comments:
During the meeting, Newtown Supervisor Elen Snyder, who is liaison to the Newtown Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), advised the Friends that “our environmental advisory committee is working on this issue. We agree with you 100% and we are going to advise the rest of the Board of Supervisors that we agree with that and we'll see what can be done.”
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Just to be clear: No such ban has been implemented or officially put before the BOS for consideration as of the publication date of this article.
Survey Results
I began my survey two days later and within 20 days I collected over 365 responses. The vast majority of the 307 Newtown Township respondents - 83% - said “Definitely Not!” to banning the use of gas-powered blowers in Newtown Twp. Only 13% said “Yes, Definitely” they were OK with a ban.
After the BOS meeting, Ms. Synder told the Friends Village residents “we will not write an ordinance for the township or mandate in any way that individual home owners or lawn care companies that are paid by HOA fees would be included in this initiative.” She left open the possibility that such a ban could be imposed on use of gas-powered leaf blows and weed wackers on township property. As of 11/23/24, there has been no action on this by the Board of Supervisors (BOS) nor has any such ban - even limited to township property - been put forward for consideration by the BOS.
Comments
I collected all of the responses from Newtown Township residents - including 167 comments - in a PDF document. There are too many comments to repeat here, but the following are a few of the more colorful if not informative ones.
First, let me say that the words “ridiculous” and “overreaching” were mentioned in dozens of comments, obviously from those respondents who were definitely NOT in favor of a ban. Let me repeat of few of those comments here:
"It’s absurd on its face. This is extreme governmental overreach! They want to dictate what types of lawn equipment we can and cannot use? Landscaping companies are not going to simply purchase battery operated equipment to take care of lawns in our area, which will cause one big company with the funds to do so to come in and be a monopoly and charge an excessive rate for lawn care. "
"This is an example of too much regulatory overreaching. The proponents rationale could be extended to banning gas powered lawnmowers and cars since they mare also noisy and emit the same fumes."
"This is ridiculous. Are you going to ban anything that uses gasoline? Cars? Generators for power outages? This would hurt residents -not a good idea. Please find better initiatives. I.e. sidewalks and street lights in my neighborhood."
"I think a ban on gas powered leaf blowers would be a great disservice to the community. Imagine the impact of small business that own, and operate lawn services, and the catastrophic impact it would have on their business. Are we going to ban gas powered cars in our area? This is a ridiculous request, and I respectfully request you decline this ordinance."
"This is a ridiculous issue. Are you going to ban the use of lawnmowers next? The township has many other problems. How about fixing, repairing and paving our streets. I’m beginning to believe that Newtown has lost its way if they think that this issue has any relevance.
"Too large of a burden on homeowners that own gas blowers and will have to replace. Also concerned that lawn maintenance companies will chose not to operate in Newtown, or just not use a blower. That would be a disaster."
"A gas powered blower is not much louder than a battery powered one. The batteries on a leaf blower do not last long enough to get a job done and their overall lifespan is terrible. Within a year these batteries already have limited charge time and need to be replaced causing more electronic waste in our dumps."
"Not possible for commercial landscaping. These batteries last 40 minutes. That would require 10 charged batteries daily per blower. As it is, I have 2/3 acre and go through two batteries myself. Landscapers have no chance to recharge batteries as "duh" where are they going to plug them in, the lighter socket on the work truck?"
"I have been a landscaper for roughly 3 years. They are larger and louder than when I first started. They produce harmful emissions that get in our lungs and clothing. The downside to battery powered tools is the initial cost and the battery life. A gas powered tool can run all day with more fuel. Battery powered tools have a limited run time, so multiple batteries per tool would be required. Charging the batteries while working would also be an issue."
"If Friends Village does not like gas powered tools, then maybe they should look at Banning them at Friends Village. "
"If you think gas powered leaf blowers are a “major, major problem” you are living a fantasy world and need a hobby. Don’t they offer leisure activities at Friends Village? This is an egregious waste of government time and resources. Focus on real problems."
"We own a Landscaping company, backpack blowers that are more powerful to do leaf cleanups. The battery operated ones are extremely expensive and battery life doesn’t last long. Which means having to buy more batteries to take with you on a job. There is more in this township to worry about, like all the building that clogs the roads with traffic. With more traffic adds more exhaust then leaf blowers."
"Stop the insanity! If a person wants to use electric go for it but stop with the regulations!"
OK. What about those respondents in FAVOR of a ban. Here are some of their comments:
"The time for talk, talk is well past. Let’s set an example and do something about some of the most polluting items in our community."
"We should definitely start taking the issue of noise pollution as seriously as environmental pollution."
"Let us move forward and be smart - the noise alone is horrible, plus the smell. Go electric and battery! Or use rakes!"
"Let the leaves stay. Nature’s natural fertilizer"
"Leaf blowing is not effective at removing leaves. It has limited use for large-scale leaf removal, but otherwise is literally blowing into the wind. It is a 20th century relic. An electric/battery leaf blower/vacuum can actually remove leaves without noxious fumes, further CO2 in the atmosphere, and noise."
"Such an important issue for quality of life, improving air quality and environment benefits. So happy to see this proposal!!!"
"I would like ALL leaf blowers to disappear. Around here leaves are blown into piles or into the street and re-scatter with the first big wind or, worse, are washed towards the sewer drains with the next rain (remember rain?) Why not actively encourage composting or mowing over leaves to nourish the soil? What is wrong with rakes and brooms? As for rechargeable leaf blowers, I wouldn't necessarily ban them, but I'm a little concerned with the fire risk and long term problems with lithium batteries."