Elari Udam, deputy head of the Tallinn Environment and Utilities Board, said there are no plans to outlaw leaf blowers in the capital. There are no better alternatives to leaf blowers that do not come without a heavy price tag.

However, there are plans to ban those with internal combustion engines.

"The plan is to ban internal combustion engine leaf blowers on all city contractors. The Environment and Public Works Department contractors already have this in their contracts, but if the boroughs or anyone else has these contracts, the request is that they also change this. To this end, we are currently preparing an amendment to the waste management regulations," he said.

The ban, if adopted, would enter into force next spring. It would also make leaf cleaning more environmentally friendly.

"There is already technology, battery technology or even electricity-based devices that are more environmentally friendly. They are also a bit quieter," Udam said.

The biggest concerns in Tallinn are noise and correct use.

"Noise when people want to rest or children are outdoors. Another concern is certainly when the fan is used incorrectly, and this does happen. That is when blowing in inappropriate weather or in inappropriate conditions or inappropriate things. They can also throw dust and small stones into the air and damage cars and things like that," he outlined.

Tartu has no plans to change the existing rules.

Eda Põldma, head of the greening and cleaning service of the Tartu city government, said during the three-week autumn leaf collection period, both crushing and collection of leaves is carried out.

"You could say that we crush about two-thirds of the leaves and leave them where they are. But to prevent leaves from accumulating, or from being blown by the wind into the streets and gutters, or from becoming dangerous and slippery, it is necessary to carry out leaf clearance work on or near the edges of the aforementioned traffic routes," the official said.

She added that battery-powered leaf blowers are not powerful enough to clean the city's green areas: "At least for the moment, they are not an alternative to collecting such a large quantity of wet autumn leaves. It's one thing the power, but it's another thing the logistics involved because their durability is just different."

But residents also complain about the noise.

"It may not be realized that not all the work is commissioned by the city, there are also quite a lot of contractors from private estates who decide which tools they use," said Põldma.

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