The chorus of gas-powered leaf blowers that accompanies the hundreds of landscapers across the Island could be silenced in the coming years as conservationists look to ban the practice.
The Vineyard Conservation Society is leading the way to get regulations before annual town meetings in all six Island that would initially limit the time frames that landscapers could use gas-powered leaf blowers, before instituting a ban on the gas-powered machines by 2028.
So far, town committees in Chilmark, Edgartown and Oak Bluffs have drafted warrant articles on the issue, which the conservation society and other supporters say is important to cut down on the noise and pollution from leaf blowers.
“The bylaw is about confronting the real implications of constant gas-powered leaf blower use,” said Zada Clarke, the conservation society’s director of advocacy. “It’s about challenging the idea that constant noise is ‘the new normal’ and asking our entire community whether we want to continue sacrificing our collective quality of life and the health of our environment.”
The current proposed bylaws would limit all leaf blowing to the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, with stricter limits on the weekend. Also, gas-powered leaf blowers would be allowed only in the fall and spring clean-up seasons, from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15, and from March 15 to May 31.
Violations could result in a $100 fine for the landscaper or homeowner. Subsequent violations could exact fines as high as $300.
The bylaw only extends to leaf blowers, and not other gas-powered landscaping equipment.
Landscaping is one of the most viable industries on Martha’s Vineyard, as multi-million-dollar homeowners look to have their yards pristine for their arrivals in the summer. According to federal labor statistics, there are more than 70 landscaping companies on the Island, and about 400 employees — about 4.4 per cent of the Island workforce.
The low barrier to entry has provided tremendous potential for upward mobility, and the push toward electric leaf blowers has been met with skepticism from some landscapers, who say they agree with the idea in theory, but the technology has not progressed far enough yet to implement it in practice.
During an information session about the bylaw in Edgartown on Tuesday, Chris DeMello, a landscaper with American Property Care, said some of the electric batteries take 400 minutes to charge, and, under perfect conditions, can run for about an hour and a half. Batteries for the electric blower can cost about $900.
“I’m going to have to have an awful lot of very expensive batteries,” Mr. DeMello said. “I’m going to have to charge overnight in my house and hope they don’t explode and catch fire.”
At a certain point, landscapers would have to wonder if it’s cheaper to take the fine, he said.
Proponents of the article said that they included the 2028 phase-out for gas-powered leaf blowers to give companies and individual owners time to transition to electric leaf blowers, while also allowing the manufacturer’s time to perfect the machines.
“We’ve researched equipment, rebate options and health and environmental threats,” Ms. Clarke said. “A lot of work has gone into ensuring our approach makes sense and that a bylaw can work for our entire Island community.”
Mark Sawers, an Edgartown resident who put forth the bylaw in his town, said leaf blowers are being targeted because of their surprisingly large amount of air pollution. Operating a typical two-stroke leaf blower for 30 minutes puts out as much air pollution as driving a modern Ford pickup truck for about 4,000 miles, he said.
Both the pollution and the noise can have ill-effects on people, and Nantucket has prohibited commercial landscapers from using gas-powered blowers.
“So much of this leaf blowing, it’s so freaking unnecessary,” said Carla Cooper, an Edgartown resident. “It’s wasteful...It’s so loud and they’re blowing nothing.”
Several landscapers said they felt that the seasonal limits were problematic as they didn’t always line up with when cleanup work actually takes place.
“Dec. 15 is kind of an aggressive target date to finish all of our cleanups,” said landscaper Alex Morrison. “I don’t like the noise either, it’s one of those tasks that we have to do.”
Others questioned the benefits of electric-power, saying the leaf blowers often have a shorter shelf life and would require several more battery packs to get the same amount of work done.
In an interview with the Gazette, Nikola Vasilic, the owner of Estate Care, said he’s converted some of his equipment to electric, wherever possible.
“There’s just not a strong enough alternative,” he said. “The customers are not willing to pay it yet.”
Mark Hess, the general manager of the Edgartown Golf Club, said he has to take care of 62 acres of golf course and the business uses a massive four-stroke blower to clear goose droppings and other debris.
“I think the landscapers here, I’m sensing, are willing to work with this,” he said. “I just thought some more thought needs to be put in the timeline.”
This isn’t the first time Islanders have tried to change the rules around leaf blowers. At last year’s town meeting in Edgartown, resident Sara Piazza submitted a petition article that would have banned commercial gas-powered leaf blowers in town that use two- or four-cycle gas engines.
At town meeting, some argued that the ban would hit small landscapers the hardest, and the article failed by a handful of votes.
Hoping to make it further this time around, Vineyard Conservation Society has done extensive outreach on the new proposals.
“The bylaw amplifies the rebates and resources available for landscapers and homeowners to make an equitable transition to electric lawn care equipment and reduce carbon emissions,” Ms. Clarke said.
Several landscapers said they were open to change, but weren’t sure if the current proposal was the best way forward.
“I think it’s a good idea, it’s a good direction,” said Mr. Vasilic. “We just have to be aware of the market . . . . We can’t make a switch too fast.”
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