Here is an example of the effectiveness of incentives over bans in the landscaping industry (Agency offers ...):
Leaf blowers, the most efficient way to keep lawns and sidewalks Desperate Housewives-immaculate, are a bane to both the air and the ear.
In the Los Angeles area, home to a thriving landscaping industry and one of the worst smog problems in the nation, the regional air quality agency is offering cleaner, quieter machines at a discount to landscapers who turn in old ones.
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The agency said the trade-in was a good alternative to leaf blower bans, which some cities adopted but which can be difficult to enforce. Officials from the nearby city of South Pasadena contacted the agency for help after repealing a gas-powered leaf blower ban a year ago because of the number of complaints about violations. Landscapers say that using electric leaf blowers or tools like brooms and rakes takes more time and raises costs.
