To the Editor:

In response to my neighbor Christopher Monroe’s keen observation of “scouring the entire paved area” around the 7-Eleven with a leaf blower [“Adding a Voice to Chorus of Pleas Against Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers, Mailbox, December 30], let me join ranks to agree on the overuse/abuse of the noisy, messy machines that often just blow things from one unwanted place to another.

Cheers for the occasional downtown merchants I have seen sweeping up and actually depositing the trash into a container! I’m often saddened by all the debris dropped along the sidewalks, especially now with the “opportunity” to drop masks and gloves. Even on side streets in the neighborhoods there is more trash dropped than usual. Princeton trash pickup is timely and efficient. Individuals can make a difference — get the trash in the cans and be more mindful not to drop it on the streets and walks.

Blowing it around isn’t helpful or healthful. Gas-powered blowers are unhealthy for our air and our ears. We need to rethink the whole obsessive blowing it away rather than cleaning it up. Less use of every kind of blower would be advantageous for the community. And, maybe, we don’t really need scorched earth (or parking lot) cleanup habits to begin with!

Kathryn Weidener
Moore Street