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The Leaf Blower Dilemma: A Growing Noise Nuisance in New Jersey

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Ridgewood NJ, the leaf blower, invented as far back as 1947, has become an indispensable tool for landscapers and homeowners alike. However, in some New Jersey communities, it has also become public nuisance number one.

“People don’t think about noise pollution as pollution, but it certainly affects the quality of life,” said Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, D-Fair Lawn. Her bill, A2319, often referred to as the “leaf blower bill,” was introduced in December 2021, and she’s hopeful it will be heard by the environmental committee this September. “I’m hoping there will be a groundswell of support,” Swain said.

A Personal Crusade

Swain’s crusade against leaf blowers began in a way many can relate to. “A few years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I finally had a few minutes of free time and wanted to sit and read a book,” recalled Swain, a two-time mayor of Fair Lawn. “Then my neighbor’s landscaper showed up. They started blowing the leaves, and it was so loud that it was no longer relaxing to sit and read. That’s what got me started.”

Nationwide Leaf Blower Bans

Swain’s frustrations with leaf blowers are far from unique. The pandemic, which kept more people at home, heightened awareness of the weekday noise they had previously been spared by their office jobs. Today, an estimated 11 million gas-powered leaf blowers are in use across the United States, and more than 200 cities have enacted regulations to curb their use. Some cities restrict them to certain hours or seasons, while places like California, Washington, D.C., and Miami have banned gas-powered blowers entirely. In New Jersey, towns like Glen Ridge, Princeton, Maplewood, Montclair, Morristown, and West Orange have passed similar restrictions.

Leaf blowers are undeniably loud, often clocking in at over 100 decibels at the point of origin—a noise level comparable to a chainsaw, a jackhammer, or the front row at a rock concert. While the noise diminishes with distance, experts note that the low-frequency component of the sound penetrates through walls and windows, making it particularly disruptive.

“When three guys are using these gas blowers for 20 minutes, it’s pretty loud,” said Dave Chalek, owner of Sprout Farms & Gardens in Teaneck.

The Push for Quieter Alternatives

Swain’s bill proposes financial incentives, in the form of rebates, for residents and landscaping businesses to purchase low-noise electric or battery-powered leaf blowers. These alternatives, though much quieter than their gas-powered counterparts, come with their own set of challenges. “They’re so silent you wouldn’t be able to hear it inside the house,” Chalek said. However, they are expensive—often costing more than $1,200, compared to around $500 for a gas-powered blower—and their batteries may not last long enough to complete a large yard.

Still, Chalek is optimistic about the future. He points to potential solutions like solar-paneled contractor trucks that could serve as mobile charging stations for battery-powered equipment. “That’s not quite feasible technology yet, but that’s what they’re working toward,” Chalek said.

For now, though, landscaping companies face high costs in transitioning to quieter, more environmentally friendly equipment. “You have to look at this from the contractor’s point of view,” Chalek said. “I think we need to cut down on the pollution of the lawn industry as a whole, but people have to remember that the costs of doing that are high.”

The Environmental and Health Impact

Beyond noise, gas leaf blowers pose other environmental and health risks. “Aside from the noise pollution, they’re environmentally polluting,” Chalek explained. “They run pretty heavy on gas, and they don’t have great filtration. It’s not like there’s a catalytic converter on it. It’s a very simple system, a very simple motor, a gas-oil blend.”

Swain also emphasized the health impact on landscapers themselves. “It affects the people who live in neighborhoods, but also the employees of landscaping companies,” she said. “Not only does it affect their hearing, but they’re affected by the dust and particulates in the air that get blown up.”

A Return to Simpler Solutions?

Of course, there’s always the alternative that has been around for centuries: the rake. “It costs too much money to have a guy on a rake,” Chalek admitted. “If you have the contractors charging $65 to $80 an hour per man, which is the standard industry fee, it would cost you hundreds of dollars just to rake a small yard.”

But for those willing to put in the effort themselves, raking offers numerous benefits. “It’s great exercise,” Chalek said. “It’s great for the environment. And a rake is cheaper than a battery or gas blower.”

As New Jersey communities continue to grapple with the noise and environmental impact of leaf blowers, the debate over how best to regulate their use will likely grow louder. Whether through legislation, technological innovation, or a return to traditional methods, the goal remains the same: to preserve the peace and quiet that everyone deserves.

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22 thoughts on “The Leaf Blower Dilemma: A Growing Noise Nuisance in New Jersey

  1. I don’t care about the pansy environmental arguments. Leaf blowers are stupid and so are you for using them. Do yourself and everyone else a favor and rake your own damn yard.

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    1. Soon you’ll see more and more trees being cut down……….

      The result of good intentions.

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      1. First they came for the trees, and I did not speak out — because I was not a tree.

    2. you must live in the lawns with no trees
      im on the westside with 15 large oaks (and happily subsidizing your kids in school)
      you will never pry my gas leaf blower from me.. ever

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      1. Thanks for the subsidy.

        My sons enjoyed kicking your sons’ asses in baseball every year.,

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        1. They are golfers. Sorry there joe-six pack.

          1. C’mon, don’t be silly…golf is not a sport.

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      2. Hey douchbag Westsider..
        UP YOUR

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        1. Nice mouth. This is the result of low interest rates letting trailer trash move here that belong south of route 4.

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          1. And what Ivy-Leaguer signed off on those low interest rates?

      3. I hear you. We have eleven white oaks, one chestnut oak, three sugar maples, a red mulberry, and a red chokecherry. But here’s the trick: we also have five hachi-uye bonsai trees, which require a bit of special attention. So, we ended up hiring a young Japanese guy, Akihito, as a sort of live-in groundskeeper, although he doesn’t really live with us because he’s not allowed near the house. He has a modest shack by the koi pond and he’s perfectly happy with that. Anyhoo, he collects all the leaves on the property – I kid you not – by hand, in manner that can only be described as a dance without rhythm. It’s very Zen and very quiet.

        1. You people are just so weird.

    3. time is money

      1. And you’re running out of both. Tick Tock.

    4. Who pissed in your Cheerios…?

      1. Probably your wife’s boyfriend. We know he’s not quite house-trained yet.

    5. Bro, chill. Sure, every time I see one those dudes blowing leaves in his driveway I assume he’s wearing his wife’s panties but I’m not blowin’ a gasket over it.

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  2. Maybe the town should buy rakes for everyone in town.

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  3. Dear Village Council: Please read this article, skip the dumb comments, and think seriously about a ban, especially since there are apparently alternatives.

    The noise is bad enough, but the smell of gas persists for hours.

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    1. No Village Council, do not skip the dumb comments because that’s where the treasure lies. Not in comments like this one from special boys with sensory processing disorders who can’t tolerate the sound of yard work. Can’t stand the smell of my blower? Stop sniffing my lawn, weirdo.

      Apparent alternatives? Like taking away my freedom? From my cold dead gasoline soaked hands you will.

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  4. I am so sick of HEARING those stinking leaf blowers. WHY??
    They penetrate my Home.
    Last Night, Another idiot was out there after 8:00 @ night. For 3 hours, that idiot was blowing away.
    Now, the leaves are still falling hard. He does not care. they pay he blows and he will be back.
    I live in Winslow TWP.

    1. I’m sorry that you’re sick of the sound of freedom but this is America.

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