I despise the things for many reasons. Some of them are aesthetic and philosophical: that, is personal. But some of these reasons are scientific and health-related, that is, they pertain to everyone in this community. For *those* reasons, a ban may be called for, much like one is not allowed to smoke in certain spaces. It's up to the community to decide by voting for a by-law, then for the police to enforce.

The reasons? For one, the hydrocarbon emissions from a half-hour of yard work with the two-stroke leaf blower are about the same as a 3,900-mile drive in a high-performance pickup truck (http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-car-vs-truck-vs-leaf-blower.html). Hydrocarbons are unburned or partially burned fuel that react in the atmosphere to form ground-level ozone.
Leaf blowers do this all on the spot, of course, while the trucks spreads its pollution along its route.

Another reason not to use a leaf blower: they dislodge “fugitive dust,“ minuscule dust particles and micro organisms that have no business being in the air, in our mouths and lungs. How about some rodent droppings, bird waste, pollens, molds, bacteria, and viruses for a snack?
Thirdly, they wreck our hearing. It takes sounds in excess of 85 decibels (db) to damage hearing, but noise at less than 75 db may be linked to hypertension, and that at just 65 db leads to stress, heart damage and depression. Leaf blowers are routinely used less than 50 feet from unconsenting pedestrians and neighboring homes, and a blower measuring 70-75 dB at 50 feet can reach 90-100 dB at the operator’s ear
(http://www.nonoise.org/quietnet/cqs/leafblow.htm). Many operators don't wear ear protection, and bystanders certainly don't.

Now, Wayland isn't Brookline or Newton, where lots are much closer together and leaf blowers are often also used to sweep the floor of dust and debris in streets and narrow alleys, right next to where people live (I know, I used to live near Coolidge Corner).

It is certainly a debate worth having!

Get over it. It's a leaf blower.

More government regulation limiting our freedom...I think not.

IM WONDERING IF THERE IS ANYWAY, THESE PEOPLE CAN FIND A WAY FOR THE WIND NOT TO BLOW AT ALL, PERHAPS THAT`S NEXT, MY HAIR KEEPS GETTING MESSED UP................

I would very much welcome such a ban. When someone's "freedom" negatively impacts me (even something as basic as enjoying sitting in my back yard), I don't think the government is overreaching by lessening that. The private sector (landscapers, mostly) is limiting my freedom on my on property. It's another form of pollution. Is the government being overly intrusive by forcing us to fix cars the spew air pollution over a given threshold?

Perhaps a more workable approach would be stressing noise levels, rather than outright ban? Is quieter technology really out of practical reach?

What about a neighbor's dog that barks constantly...maybe I can blow him away with a leaf blower?
I prefer the local, state and federal government out of my business. They haven't a great job so far.....why push them to make more poor decisions.

While we are at it let's ban lawn mowers, chainsaws, skill saws, ourdoor radio use, barking dogs, garbage trucks with compactors, talking on cell phones outdoors...

The noise is really not a argument against blowers, that would have legs. I think a discussion about health concerns is viable...and these are more focused on the content of dust generated in the cleanup of walkways, driveways and especially streets.

Managing the fallen leaves of deciduous trees onto our properties is an important late fall and early spring maintenance task. I doubt the debris clouds from fallen leaves being moved off of lawns and garden beds are much of a health hazard. The cost of leaf cleanup would easily double if done by hand by landscapers.

Don't forget snowblowers and heart attacks.....

Please hold it down. The sound of your keyboard typing is getting to the rest of us. Also try not to exhale. Carbon dioxide in your breath is hastening climate change.

Reverend E. Raleigh Pimperton III

Amen Reverend!

Maybe Sudbury could buy a flock of goats too. They could roam the town and keep the grass but for everyone and eat the fall leaves. It just makes sense .. and liberals wonder why people laugh at them

Can't do that due to methane and carbon dioxide emissions from the goats. Get green, Rob!

Reverend E. Raleigh Pimperton III

Good point Rev. Although I'm sure we could find a Selectmen that could follow them around and pick up their droppings for recycling. Most save one are already accustomed to shoveling it that this should be a relatively low level of effort.

This may be the first time I've agreed with Reverand.

Perhaps home-owners could start addressing these issues by monitoring the landscapers that come to their homes. Last Fall I saw one landscaping crew blow the leaves off one property onto the street, then leave it there to blow onto another neighbor's property, who then employed a landscaper to move the leaves back onto the street. Finally the third company picked it up and carted the leaves away. I understand the need for employment, but these (mostly) same leaves being blown about by three crews is pushing it a bit. The first home-owner could have insisted the leaves be picked up and taken away, and there would have been less noise, less pollution, less expense too.
(PS. I don't own a leaf-blower or employ landscapers, but then I also don't have a huge lawn. I use a rake: raking leaves in the Fall is a great and free work-out. For mowing I use an electrical mower, which is powered by my solar array.)

I'm on board with the goat thing..go for it..and if you work it right there can also be "free goat milk" involved. everyone wins

This should be simple, as there is no shortage of old goats in these towns.

Reverend E. Raleigh Pimperton III

Such a ban would have my heartiest endorsement! At the very least, I would like to see the use of leaf blowers restricted to late September - mid-November, when they really would be blowing away leaves. I echo all that Katrien has already said. As for jobs disappearing with the leaf blowers, I can only imagine that jobs would at least remain stable (or increase) as many hands once more took up rakes and brooms to move grass, leaves, and dirt out of the way. Being self-employed with a home office, the now three season drone of leaf blowers in the neighborhood creates more penetrating and stressful noise in my home office than I ever experienced in 20 years working in the city. As someone who dedicates my work to fostering a deeper appreciation for Concord's beautiful and historically significant agricultural landscapes and wildlands, there is now virtually no part of town (save the heart of the Estabrook Woods) where one can escape the high-pitched, long-traveling blare of superfluous leaf blowers. May they rest in peace!

raise the public's understanding and appreciation of Concord's beautiful and historically significant open and wild landscapes, the incessant high-pitched drone of leaf blowers now throughout three seasons of the year

Leaf blower noise around my house has been a constant irritation over many weeks this October and November. I would not be one to complain but it has persisted for hours and hours and hours. I want the full employment act for leaf *rakers*.

I would blame President Bush!

Can you be a tree hugger and then complain when you loose power because your trees are too close to power lines?

Can you be a tree hugger and then complain about the most efficient method (leaf blower) to remove leaves?

You live in Sudbury! Did you not know there would be trees and falling leaves?

Best bet for you leaf blower complainers would be to move to a place with no trees.

@Rob, you beat us to it. @Who Knows, we have deleted your comment; we have a zero-tolerance policy for profanity.

Good morning! I have a leaf blower and the noise isn't that bad. But at 6 am Sunday ,morning? And its not leafs, its a parking lot. As i look out my window with that nice hummmm over my t.v. and look at the dust (no wind to speak of at DAWN!) it is as high as the top of the telephone poles. I just looked at the last post 2012 So this will fall on deaf ears. Oh they just stopped only 90 mins.to clean off the parking lot.