A burden of a ban

Lawn and landscape professionals in Montgomery County, Maryland, will soon be losing an important tool in the tool box. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, all cosmetic pesticides will be banned in the county with some exceptions for athletic fields, golf courses and invasive species treatments.

Mowing & More in Chevy Chase, Maryland, services about 450 residential clients in the county, about 150 of whom receive lawn care applications. Chad Stern, manager, says his company will continue to do the best it can, but he knows that the quality of his customers’ lawns will suffer if the ban goes into effect.

“I guess I’m kind of waiting to see what happens as far as this legislation actually being enforced. I’m kind of keeping my fingers crossed for perhaps some last-minute modification to this that wouldn’t make it into such a cumbersome and heavy-handed bill,” he says.

There are no enforcement provisions in the ordinance, which is leaving many to wonder what will happen to those who don’t abide by the new law.

For the full story, in our October issue, click here.