Are they paying by the decibel level? That was the burning question after a Redditor watched a small army of gas-powered leaf blowers herding leaves into a pile in a neighborhood park.
They shared the frustrating and noisy footage on the r/NoLawns subreddit, writing in their post: "It's that time of year again (way too early, exposing all the insects .... sad)"
The video features at least three of the four landscapers in shot using the loud gas-powered yard tools to put the leaves in a pile.
As the original poster alluded to, there is a belief that leaf blowers are bad for insects and forcibly removing the leaves disrupts the ecosystem around them. The BBC reported that the German government, in fact, advised them to only be used if they were "indispensable," citing a detrimental impact on insects.
According to Lane County Audubon Society, an adverse effect on insects can have a ripple effect on birds and other critical pollinators through the food chain, as they rely on those bugs for food.
The rampant noise pollution also impacts humans and animals alike. For birds, it can interfere with mating calls and their ability to hear predators, per the Lane County Audubon Society. Gas-powered leaf blowers also produce decibel levels of 80 and higher that pose dangerous health risks for humans, as Monmouth University described.
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Last, but certainly not least, gas-powered leaf blowers are egregious air polluters. Just one hour of operation can equate to the pollution of a 1,100-mile car trip from Los Angeles to Denver, per the California Air Resources Board. While that enormous pollution is bad for everyone in the area, from animals to human residents, it has an outsized effect on those operating the machinery.
For all these reasons, areas around the country are exploring or implementing bans, and pushing landscapers to look into much quieter and cleaner electric leaf blowers that are on the market.
Redditors were disheartened by the OP's footage.
"I work in landscaping and can not believe what people will pay to have guys chase leaves around their property," one wrote. "It's just companies blatantly making up services to sell to keep their crews busy and the cash flowing in colder months."
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Absolutely 💯 They concluded by declaring that "Americans as a whole are so horticulturally illiterate."
"This is why I know there's no hope," another offered. "People are completely ignorant about their role in killing off insects and birds."
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