Gas-powered lawn care ban goes to Rehoboth commissioners

The Rehoboth Beach Environment Committee has recommended a phased approach to eliminate the use of gas-powered lawn care equipment within city limits by January 2028.

The committee has been working toward this action for months. In September, the group reached a consensus to move forward on finalizing recommendations to commissioners. That’s what took place during a committee meeting Dec. 16.

As recommended, portions of the ban would begin with city contractors and employees in January 2024, commercial operators in January 2025 and a city-wide ban beginning in January 2026.

Specifically, for city contractors and employees, the ban would begin with handheld equipment Jan. 1, 2024; then a ban on gas-powered lawn mowers would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. There would be a similar two-year transition period for commercial operators and residential equipment. By January 2028, all handheld gas-powered equipment and lawn mowers would be banned for everyone.

Committee member Nettie Green said this is an effective proposal, which should be put before the city commissioners to iron out the details.

The committee recognized Lewes had recently delayed the implementation of its ban on gas-powered string trimmers, which was supposed to begin in 2023. However, the Rehoboth committee wasn’t deterred.

The equipment is out there and these dates are reasonable, said committee member Charlie Garlow.

One of the few areas of discussion before the vote was about chainsaws with blades larger than 13 inches. During the investigation, the committee heard from local specialists that the technology isn’t strong enough for large, battery-powered chainsaws. Ultimately, the group decided to include language banning gas-powered chainsaws 13 inches or smaller, while remaining silent on larger chainsaws.

City resident David Diefenderfer said he has a new $700 mower that he doesn’t want to stop using and that he’s contributing to saving the environment in other ways. For example, he said, he’s got solar panels on his house.

Diefenderfer also asked who would be responsible for disposing of the oil and gas that came from the old equipment. The committee didn’t have an immediate answer.

Green acknowledged there would be some unhappy people, but the world needs to change and bold steps need to be taken, she said.

Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski, committee chair, said he has reservations about forcing residents to participate in the program. However, he said, he’ll get a second chance to look at it as a commissioner and didn’t have a problem moving it forward.

Single-use plastics and straws

Following the recommendation on gas-powered lawn care equipment, the committee briefly discussed the use of single-use plastics and straws in restaurants. The committee would like to see the city institute a ban on those items as well.

Before the pandemic, the city was considering a ban of this nature, but it was generally agreed that adding a burden to businesses already struggling through the pandemic wouldn’t be fair. Instead, a voluntary program was implemented.

That voluntary program is not working, said Green.

Committee member Kathryn Burgwin agreed. The pandemic is over, so the city should get back to addressing the issue, she said.