To the Editor:

Does anyone really like, or want, the use of leaf blowers?

Think about how they’re used. It isn’t just dead leaves and grass clippings that get blown into the air. It’s fungi, bacteria, animal and bird droppings, pesticide-laden dust, and anything else that has fallen or been applied to the lawn.

But if you watch landscapers work, they don’t just blow the debris off the lawn, they blow it into the street, where it lofts into the air rubber tire bits, diesel exhaust soot, and brake-pad wearings. (And virus-laden dust? What’s the proper “social distancing” measure for someone using a leaf blower?)

And then, of course, there’s the noise. Are you working at home, or learning at home? Can you concentrate on anything when a leaf blower fires up? Certainly not. So why is your productivity worth less than that of a landscaper?

Ban leaf blowers.

Ban them now.

Ban them forever.

And, yes, I know there’s a registry of companies that don’t use leaf blowers, but what’s the point if not everyone uses it?

Other towns have banned leaf blowers. Why can’t, or won’t, a self-proclaimed “environmentally-conscious” Princeton?

End the hypocrisy; ban leaf blowers.

Michael D. Diesso
Harrison Street