MARGATE – They are noisy and blow contaminant particles into the air causing breathing problems for some residents. That’s why several members of the community are asking the Board of Commissioner to ban gas-powered backpack leaf blowers from usage anywhere in the city.
At the March 20 Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Maury Blumberg suggested codifying banning the use of the gas-powered backpack blowers in an ordinance, stating they are not good for the environment and are so noisy they disturb neighbors. Encouraging the use of hand-held leaf blowers that run on batteries would correct what he calls a “quality of life” issue.
“At one time they were banned and somehow it’s back in the ordinance,” he said.
Blumberg said landscapers can use easily use handheld blowers that are not as powerful and encourage them to pick up the debris instead of blowing grass clippings into the street and storm drains.
Mayor Michael Collins said more information is needed before proceeding to an outright ban.
“The landscapers who are working in our town are working in adjacent towns, so we should be consistent with neighboring towns,” Collins said.
Members of the city’s own Department of Public Works use backpack leaf blowers at the recreation fields and at city parks, DPW Superintendent Pat Power said.
“We have four or five of them,” he said.
Police Chief Matthew Hankinson said the city should consider enforcement before adopting a new ordinance.
“With new ordinances coming up, it’s hard to police and enforcement may be a little hard with just one code enforcement officer at this time,” he said.
Blumberg suggested the city consider increasing staffing in the Code Enforcement Office to two part-time officers.
“We are not doing the right thing by residents that have to listen to them and not doing right thing for the environment,” Blumberg said.
Sustainable Margate green team Chairman Steve Jasiecki said noise from the leaf blowers are “ear-piercing” and disruptive for residents, especially at dinner time, when attending a Zoom meeting, or simply enjoying a cup of coffee on a deck.
He suggested the city consider legislation approved in Maplewood that addressed the issue.
“You don’t want to harm the landscapers, but it is a quality of life issue,” he said.
Maplewood adopted its ordinance in January 2023 banning gas-powered leaf blowers anywhere in the township, including those used by professional landscapers and residents. The ordinance was implemented after a partial ban that lasted six years.
Language in Maplewood’s ordinance say particulate matter from the blowers “are hazardous to the health of workers and residents, particularly the elderly and young, causing hearing loss and potential cancers, hypertension and cardiac disease,” and they further “destroy animal, bird and insect habitats, disrupting nature and adversely impacting the health of pets.”
Fines levied on those who do not follow the ordinance start at $500 for the first offense and go up to as much as $1,500 for third or subsequent offenses.
Neighboring Longport prohibits the use of backpack blowers, but allows hand-held blowers, and all clippings must be disbursed back onto the property owner’s lawn or bagged for proper disposal.
Also discussed was enforcing the city’s existing ordinance, which limits landscapers to working during regular business hours and prohibits them from working on Sundays.
“It’s also a health issue with the amount of wind being blown around at 250 miles-per-hour,” Jasiecki said. “We don’t need that much power…it’s more than what is needed to maintain the grass.”
Steve Altman, a member of the Margate Citizens Advisory Committee, agreed the leaf blowers are some of the most polluting engines of all small engines.
“They are very disruptive to our environment and probably should be considered in those terms also,” he said.
The issue was discussed again at the April 17 meeting when Administrator Patrick Moran asked the commissioners for guidance on how to implement the ordinance.
Collins said the city should follow Sustainable Jersey guidance, which recommends an educational component be part of the process, including the possibility of hosting a meeting with landscape professionals before adopting the ordinance.
“The first thing we should do is engage the landscapers because it will affect their way of life,” Collins said. “I think we have to have them as part of the conversation. I think we should do a ban, but it should be phased in.”
“Let’s do what Longport does, ban them, notify the contractors, give them warnings, then proceed with fining them,” Blumberg said. “Let’s do it. Let’s improve the quality of life for the people who are here in the summertime.”
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