MARBLEHEAD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Residents in Marblehead, Mass., submitted a citizen petition to the town to ban leaf blowers year round.
As of July 2023, gas-powered leaf blowers are banned from Memorial Day to Labor Day in Marblehead. However, certain residents said that they want the town to ban them completely, not just in the summer.
Read More: Marblehead's Summer Gas Leaf Blower Ban Takes Effect
Resident Sabrina Velandry filed the citizen petition that will be considered in the town meeting in May. If adopted, the petition would prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers at any time, expanding the previous ban. Velandry's petition also aims to raise the first offense fine to $300, and it would prohibit town workers from using leaf blowers as well as residents.
Velandry spoke on the reasons behind the petition. “It’s just a ban to get back to common sense,” she said.
Discussing the noise pollution caused by leaf blowers, Velandry described, “I will walk outside of my house, and I cannot see them, but I can hear them… all through Marblehead. At the height, at the peak, of their blowing, it was absolutely excruciating. It’s not just myself, by the way."
Velandry grew up in Marblehead and moved away, but she recently moved back. Her return home included some new sounds. “When I came back and moved into the same home that I grew up in, one of the first things that I noticed was the drone and the oppressive grinding.”
She argued that leaf blowing is not necessary for yard upkeep. “We’re not at war with leaves,” Velandry said. "Just rake."
On the other side of the issue, local landscapers said that the ban could have detrimental and potentially crushing effects on their businesses. They would either need to charge more money for their services or close down.
Other Mass. towns have already adopted similar bans. In Lexington, gas-powered leaf blowers will be fully banned for residents starting March 2026 and commercial landscapers starting March 2025.
Velandry's petition will be discussed at the Marblehead Town Meeting on May 6.
WBZ's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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