Legal column: Leaf blowers: “The most stupid invention”

Interviews with Hollywood stars are likely to yield somewhat exotic babble, which is likely read with interest because life on the hills of Los Angeles is quite remote from the worries of the Bungsberg and the Zugspitze. So it's both shocking and reassuring that there are everyday challenges that everyone faces in the same way: Leaf blowers, actress Cate Blanchett recently said in an interview with People magazine, are "the most idiotic invention ever." So enraged, she spoke for all those who are plagued in their gardens, backyards, and balconies by neighbors with devices "that are a symbol of everything that's wrong with our species."

The actress has lived and continues to live on various properties in England and Australia, a country where, as in the USA, it's generally permissible to fire up any gasoline engine in your garden shed, even at lunchtime and on weekends. From this perspective, one can be content with Europe and the German bureaucracy that has produced a monstrosity called the Machine Noise Protection Ordinance. It stipulates that leaf blowers, like chainsaws, may only be operated in residential areas on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

"Since there are no uniform quiet hours across Germany, states and municipalities can also impose stricter regulations," says Jutta Hartmann of the German Tenants' Association (DMB) in Berlin. In Munich, for example, leaf blowers must remain turned off even on Saturday afternoons, and in private homes, quiet hours begin at 12 noon during the week. Anyone who fails to comply can expect a fine.

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According to regulations, devices with an environmental label are permitted to be operated at other times of day nationwide. However, this is only theoretical – the EU label for gardening tools doesn't yet exist, says Christian Fabris of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). The Blue Angel ecolabel is also not awarded to leaf blowers. Therefore, the strict rest periods apply to all devices without exception – and "also to businesses," Fabris emphasizes.

A noise limit for garden tools, which has been under consideration in Europe for many years and was originally planned for the end of 2025, does not yet exist. At present, there is little to suggest that this will change any time soon. However, it is also true that battery-powered blowers are not only emission-free, but also much quieter than petrol-powered devices. The change from the sound of a moped to that of a hairdryer increases acceptance for municipal companies, which, in Berlin, for example, have to remove an average of 36,000 tons of leaves each autumn. According to the Berlin City Cleaning Service (BSR), this corresponds to the weight of around 6,000 African elephants. Perhaps the quieter devices will also increase acceptance among caretakers, who fulfill their duty to ensure traffic safety and have to clear paths on large residential complexes in this way to prevent slips.

However, the UBA advises against using leaf blowers in private homes. Even quieter devices are harmful to nature. This mini-hurricane, with speeds of around 200 to 300 kilometers per hour, whirls dirt, animal droppings, microbes, and fungal spores through the air. And the hedgehog probably doesn't care whether its home is blown away by a gasoline-powered or electric device.