Town council adopts new tactics for handling yard equipment complaints: 'More like detectives than firemen'

A Long Island town is beefing up its enforcement methods to clamp down on gas-powered leaf blowers following repeated complaints from the community.

Under the new terms, landscapers are prohibited from using gas-powered leaf blowers in North Hempstead from June to September, and the town has pledged to respond more quickly to noise complaints.

Public safety commissioner Derek Skuzenski told Newsday: "We're approaching it a little more like detectives than firemen."

The concerns over the noise are well-founded. As an article by Rewiring America points out, the loudest gas tools can hit 95 decibels. That's enough to cause permanent hearing damage within an hour. There's also the matter of air pollution. Leaf blowers release fine particulate matter, which carries serious respiratory health risks for operators and the community alike.

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Lawn equipment also has a surprisingly large pollution footprint.

Because gas-powered gardening tools often use an inefficient two-stroke engine, using a commercial lawn mower is the equivalent of driving over 300 miles. A 2023 report outlined that leafblowers are among the worst offenders for carbon pollution; 60 minutes of operation is akin to driving a car for 1,000 miles. Nassau County, where North Hempstead is located, ranked 39th in the nation for carbon dioxide pollution from gardening equipment in 2020.

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Switching to electric lawn tools can save people aroun $200 a year on fuel and maintenance costs.

While welcomed by locals and environmental groups, the measures have received pushback from some contractors. In nearby Huntington, a similar ban was put on hold until 2026. New York State is working on legislation to provide rebates for contractors to switch to electric equipment, but contractors are still hesitant.

Evan Dackow, a board member of the Landscape Contractors Association of Long Island, explained to Newsday: "It's a power thing. There's a certain volume of force that's required ... to get the job done."

Still, that's not the universal view of contractors in the area. Kevin Boodram owns a firm that uses electric and robotic lawn equipment, he said, "It pays for itself in the first year."