Calls to ban gas-powered leaf blowers are growing over noise and air pollution

Gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and string trimmers not only emit a maddening whine but they also contribute significantly to air pollution in the Philadelphia region, according to a report released Monday by a trio of environmental organizations.

The report comes amid a growing movement across the United States, and locally, including in Philly and Lower Merion, to ban or restrict use of the blowers.

Just one commercial lawn mower running for an hour produces as much smog-causing pollutants as driving 300 miles in a car. Leaf blowers are worse, producing the equivalent pollution of driving 1,100 miles — the distance from Philly to West Palm Beach, Fla., according to the study by the nonprofit environmental advocacy groups Environment America and U.S. PIRG, as well as Frontier Group, a research nonprofit.

The data were analyzed for local impact by PennEnvironment, a local chapter of Environment America.

The groups used U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates to show that lawn and garden equipment powered by fossil fuels released 30 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, more than all greenhouse gas emissions that year from the city of Los Angeles. That same year, lawn equipment in Pennsylvania emitted 965 tons of fine particulates, the equivalent pollution from more than 10 million typical cars.

PennEnvironment found that Montgomery County had the highest amount of overall estimated emissions in the region compared to Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties in South Jersey.

The culprit: Two-stroke engines that are highly polluting because they burn both gas and oil, releasing aerosols from unburned fuel into the atmosphere. Four-stroke engines, such as those in cars, are cleaner-burning and have catalytic converters that strip out volatile organic compounds.

Two-stroke engines are also noisy. Sound from leaf blowers can reach 90 decibels or more and have been shown to exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended daytime standards of 55 amplitude-weighted decibels. Their low-frequency noises can travel hundreds of yards and penetrate walls.

Virginia Nurk, a spokeswoman for U.S. EPA Region 3, which includes Pennsylvania, said in an emailed statement that the small engines “are significant sources of air pollution.” Rules passed in 2008 and phased in over time should reduce emissions significantly by 2030, she said.

“An estimated 965 tons of fine particulates was released by gas-powered lawn and garden equipment in 2020 in Pennsylvania alone. That amount is equivalent to pollution of more than 10 million local cars,” said Ellie Kerns, Climate and Clean Energy Campaign associate for Penn Environment.

She called the numbers “alarming” and said fine particulate matter contributes to adverse health effects including asthma in children in Philadelphia.

Kerns theorized that Montgomery County ranked so high simply because of its suburban density.

The data in the study are broken down into four major pollutants: nitrogen oxides (Nox), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide (CO2), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

At least 60 municipalities around the U.S. ban or restrict use of gas-powered lawn equipment, particularly leaf blowers, mostly because of noise. Some ban only gas-powered blowers while others also ban electric. California is banning sales of new gas leaf blowers starting next year.

A year ago, Seth Lieberman and Anne Dicker started Quiet Clean Philly in an attempt to get 1,000 signatures for a petition urging Philadelphia City Council to ban gas-powered blowers. Lieberman said the group supports an ordinance that would mimic Washington, D.C.’s ban, which prohibits the sale and use of a leaf blower with a sound level exceeding 70 decibels at a distance of 50 feet.

“The EPA says clearly that these two-stroke engines produce carcinogens,” Lieberman said. “They produce benzene, butadiene, formaldehyde. This is not crazy science. In the city of Philadelphia, 1 in 5 kids have asthma. So why the heck would we be spraying these fumes throughout the city?”

Although there are no bans in Pennsylvania, New Jersey has several.

Maplewood, Essex County, in Northern New Jersey, instituted a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers “anywhere in the township at any time” starting Jan. 1, 2023. The ban includes personal use by residents and contractors. Homeowners or contractors found in violation are subject to fines. Electric blowers are allowed.

“The majority of people are really happy with it,” said Nancy Adams, a Maplewood committee member.

She noted that this is the first autumn under the ban and that homeowners, business owners, and contractors are still adjusting. She said contractors complain that battery-powered blowers don’t have enough oomph, and charges don’t last long enough.

“But that’s just not the case,” Adams said. “The technology is there.”

She said contractors need to train workers to use tarps and other methods to collect leaves and reduce battery use.

Meanwhile, Princeton in Mercer County and Montclair in Essex County passed ordinances that limit blower use from March 15 to May 15 and Oct. 1 to Dec. 15, coinciding with spring yard cleanings and leaf pickups.

Some local communities are discussing action on leaf blowers.

For example, the Lower Merion Township Environmental Advisory Council created a draft document over the summer containing options for restricting or banning gas-powered leaf mowers. The advisory council noted that it’s common for contractors to use multiple leaf blowers on a single yard and that residents frequently complain about the noise. The document also noted that blowers emit “a range” of pollutants.

The advisory council recommends a ban to be phased in with date and time restrictions over two to three years before a full ban.

Some landscaping services have already switched to electric. Gerhart Arndt, owner of Conshohocken-based Sustainable Lawn Care Services, spoke at a PennEnvironment news conference Monday to announce the study and launch a campaign to go electric.

“We use all battery-powered equipment throughout our services,” Arndt said, adding it’s “much easier and safer for the operator, as well as reducing maintenance and upkeep to a minimum.”