Gas Leaf Blowers (Austin: condo, home, disposal)

[aaauger]

It's surprising that Austin doesn't have a regulation against gas leaf blowers - as environmentally conscious as it is. They're a bane - creating loud noise, leaving bad stench. Has city council ever discussed an ordinance to ban them?

[cdelena]

There are cleaner and quieter models available... just need some standards in place.

[GANKS]

Austin is not an enviro-friendly city in my (somewhat strong) opinion. Maybe for TX they are, but they have a ways to go before anyone takes them serious about protecting the environment.

[love roses]

This is true. It's no Pacific Northwest in that regard. Although, my next door neighbor has a blower that is not gas powered and it's still loud.

[cdelena]

Many California communities have imposed 65-decibel limits on leaf blowers. Some meet that standard while all the quality units are under 70db which is still reasonable.

The biggest problem is that many landscapers mix too much oil in the gas for the two-stroke engines so the screen in the muffler clogs and instead of cleaning it (done with a torch) they just throw it away. It restores operation of the unit but at a much increased noise level.

[love roses]

I noticed something here, but my mind may be wandering a bit off topic. Texas, unlike California, Oregan, or Washington (and maybe places east) is not into government regulations for everything (o.k, except smoking in public places). Suggestions are great, and information to make informed decisions, o.k...but that's one way that Texas is not "California." Sorry for rambling off topic.

[twange]

Originally Posted by love roses

I noticed something here, but my mind may be wandering a bit off topic. Texas, unlike California, Oregan, or Washington (and maybe places east) is not into government regulations for everything (o.k, except smoking in public places). Suggestions are great, and information to make informed decisions, o.k...but that's one way that Texas is not "California." Sorry for rambling off topic.

More off-topic stuff, I guess


I gotta say, with all due respect, sometimes regulations are good. For example, Texas, like many other states, does not have certain medical biohazard regulations. For example those who give themselves injections(for a variety of reasons) are not required to deposit used needles anywhere in particular. As long as the hazardous materials are placed in a biohazard-marked container(red plastic) you can just pitch a few dozen used syringes(called sharps) into your garbage, which can easily be scavenged by anyone who knows what to look for...gross, really. Other than adding to mounds and mounds of plastic, that seems kind of unhealthy. I think the least a state should do is either:

a.) require/provide drop-off points for folks generating home medical waste, to centralize this type of waste

b.) provide a pick-up service

In fact, I don't think California requires this either, but they do provide drop-offs.

Anybody have any more info here?

[love roses]

I don't have any more info on that...but, yes, it was gross

[aaauger]

Love Roses - Interesting thought. I agree that Texas is more independent minded that other states. And I like that a lot. But it will be interesting to see how that scales with Texas' population. More people living closer to one another. Less people feeling like part of a community. More people doing whatever the heck they want.

Twange - I know that Austin has a hazard reclamation site behind the old Wal-mart on S. I-35 for household items (paint, pesticides, etc.). I'm sure that medical organizations have bio-waste reclamation arrangements. But what do regular folk do about their medical waste? Ex. Diabetics on injected insulin. I don't know but the thought would make me think twice before scavenging in the town dump. I can also tell you from finding dirty diapers in our parking lot, condoms on the beach on Padre Island, etc. that a lot of folks don't concern themselves with proper disposal.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by aaauger

It's surprising that Austin doesn't have a regulation against gas leaf blowers - as environmentally conscious as it is. They're a bane - creating loud noise, leaving bad stench. Has city council ever discussed an ordinance to ban them?

Cry me a river! Austin is in Texas, not California. Though I'm really starting to wonder with posts like these, what Austin is turning into. I can think of other things that are noisy and leave a ''bad stench'', including humans and animals. So after the agenda is fulfilled and the environment is no cleaner or quieter than before, what are we going to ban next?

Well I do know those leaf blowers can be very loud. I own one, keep it maintained properly, and use it (with earplugs) for about 5 minutes / week. But I've also noticed just about everyone who uses them here has enough common sense to idle the motor down whenever other people are nearby! In Texas we realize that one can live in peace without Big Brother telling us what not to do, as long as we all adhere to simple rules and common courtesy!

But after my road trip to CA, I can only imagine that common courtesy is almost impossible to find in some of the communities there. Hence the existence of these socialist (read: Un-American) laws.