Lexington Votes To Eventually Ban Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

Lexington MA

09 March, 2022

9:46 AM

Description

LEXINGTON, MA — Residents of Lexington will soon be seeing an end to gas-powered leaf blowers after voters approved of a new bylaw in Monday's election. Back in November, Lexington's Select Board initially voted to remove the landscaping tools, passing a ban with 85% of the vote during a Town Meeting. Under this new bylaw, gas-powered leaf blowers will only be allowed to be used during limited hours in the spring and fall seasons - starting this fall. Monday's results showed 3,351 people in Lexington favored the ban, while 2,740 voted against it. Commercial use of gas-powered leaf blowers will be prohibited in Lexington starting March 15, 2025, and banned for residents using it on their own property a year after that, WickedLocal first reported. The largest driving force behind the initial ban showed to be the noise the machines make, along with toxic emissions and negative environmental side effects. In Massachusetts, the Attorney General has to approve changes to town bylaws. Commercial landscapers will now have to invest in expensive and cleaner equipment when clearing large amounts of leaves.