Sacramento wants to replace gas-powered garden tools with with greener technology
SACRAMENTO — Air quality officials say leaf blowers, mowers and other gasoline-powered lawn tools can emit more pollution than a car.
Cities like Sacramento and Davis have banned using leaf blowers on days when air quality is expected to be bad. There's now a new effort underway to replace these garden tools with greener technology.
Many people say gas-powered leaf blowers are a big nuisance that kick dust into the air and spew out smelly exhaust fumes, but air quality officials are launching a new program to get gas-powered lawn tools off the streets.
"As we develop this program, people will start to realize that it's really not that difficult," said Oliverio Barragan, an air quality expert with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. "It's just a change in how you work."
Workshops with landscape gardeners are now being held to showcase the latest clean tool technology. These blowers, mowers and other tools all run off batteries.
The air district is spending more than $1 million on the tool trade-in program which swaps out combustion-powered equipment for electric ones.
"Benefits are less noise, noise reduction, zero pollution, the person operating the equipment isn't inhaling that pollution directly," Barragan said.
The electric equipment costs are higher upfront, but gardeners no longer have to pay for gas.
Some workers have concerns that the electric tools need to be charged and could run out of power before the cleanup is complete.
"They're going to stop in the middle of the job," gardener Nicolas Gonzales said.
Supporters say new technology has gotten much better in the last few years.
"Charge times have been cut in a third to a half, weight has been reduced 20-25% and runtime has been extended," said Dan Sumner with Greenworks Commercial Tools.
The voucher program launched in April and 80 gas-powered tools have already been retired.
"That means 80 pieces less that are polluting the communities of Sacramento," Barragan said.
Right now, only commercial, government and nonprofit agencies are eligible for the funding, but the air district hopes to offer it to homeowners in the coming months.
Money comes from California vehicle registration fees.