“It’s the No. 1 issue I hear about.”
This week, Montclair Councilor-at-Large Peter Yacobellis told The Montclair Times that gas leaf blowers are the number one issue he hears about from constituents. He and other Council members have begun discussing possible actions to address the town’s problem with the loud, heavily polluting machines.
Concerns about the machines have prompted the formation of a group called Quiet Montclair, which advocates for the use of battery-powered blowers, rakes and the benefits of "leaving some leaves" on the grass.
Last week, council members Yacobellis, Robin Schlager and Lori Price Abrams met with representatives from the group to discuss possible solutions, such as a gradual phase-out of gas-powered machines. According to the Quiet Montclair website, new lithium-ion battery-powered blowers last about as long as gas, can be quickly recharged, deliver power comparable to their gas counterparts, and are lighter and much quieter.
Last month, the Westchester suburb of Larchmont, New York, passed a year-round ban on gas-powered machines, a first in the Northeast. The ban will come into force in 2022.