By Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director
Leaf blowers have become more popular and affordable over the last few decades. Leaf blowers alleviate the physical demands of raking, making them a popular choice for many homeowners and landscapers. Though leaf blowers save much time and effort, they are extremely harmful to the environment (particularly gas-powered blowers) in multiple ways:
1. Air Pollution: Gas-powered leaf blowers use a two-stroke engine. In 2017, California’s State Air Resources Board found that one hour of use of the most popular gas-powered leaf blower released as much emissions as driving a new Toyota Camry 1,100 miles (source). They also estimated that total emissions from gas-powered equipment would soon outpace emissions from all cars within the state. This is not only due to increasing popularity, but also because small off-road engines have fewer regulations than automotive engines.
2. Destroys Insect & Worm Winter Homes: Brown leaves may appear dead, but they are full of life and provide an indispensable winter habitat in which pollinators, caterpillars, fireflies, worms, ants, beetles, snails, and a host of other organisms live and lay their eggs. The high winds that emanate from a leaf blower decimate this habitat, including both leaves and topsoil. Preserving ground cover will protect myriad organisms, increasing the biodiversity of your yard, which is a very good thing! .
3. Noise Pollution: Leaf blowers can produce low-frequency sounds of 100 decibels or more; the low frequency makes the sound especially penetrating. For this reason, Washington, DC, phased out the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers with the passing of the Leaf Blower Regulation Amendment Act of 2018, which took effect on January 1, 2022.
4. Tree Health: Leaves provide a natural protective cover for tree roots and release valuable nutrients into the soil. Maintaining a layer of leaves alleviates the need to purchase mulch, increases the health of your trees, and reduces the costs of hiring someone to remove your leaves.
For more information on the negative impacts of leaf blowers, including a detailed comparison between gas and electric leaf blowers, refer to this article provided by the Montgomery County (MD) Department of Environmental Protection.
Try to avoid or at least reduce the use of leaf blowers throughout the fall . If you need to remove leaves from your yard, consider investing in an electric leaf blower or doing it the old-fashioned way. Also, instead of disposing of the leaves, consider adding them to your compost pile or using them as natural mulch around your trees and other plants. They can also be very effective at preparing portions of your lawn for future vegetables and native gardens.