Should the City of Delta ban the use of gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and other yard maintenance equipment?
A resident recently wrote to council asking for the city to enact a bylaw to phase out such equipment, saying it seems tool manufacturers have ignored public perceptions about their tools and have done nothing to reduce the emissions or muffle the noise.
A civic staff response notes the city is currently researching the subject including how it is being addressed in other communities. Other considerations include local government authority and jurisdiction.
“It is noted that Metro Vancouver’s Clean Air Plan includes a number of actions to reduce emissions from non-road equipment. Delta’s Electric Vehicle Strategy addresses small gas powered equipment and references an ‘electric first policy’ where new vehicles and small equipment will be replaced by electric alternatives when feasible. A number of pieces of battery powered equipment have been purchased to date,” the staff memo explained.
Gas-powered leaf blowers have long been banned the West End of Vancouver. Earlier this year, council in Vancouver unanimously approved a motion to ban gas-powered lawn maintenance equipment throughout the city by 2024.
The municipal council of the District of Oak Bay on Vancouver Island this year also unanimously voted to phase out gas-powered lawn equipment, such as lawnmowers and chainsaws.
Users there will have three years to phase out the use of gas-powered equipment.
According to the California Air Resources Board, blowing one hour’s worth of leaves with a gas-powered blower produces about as many smog-forming chemicals as driving 1,100 miles in a Toyota Camry.
