Room to Breathe: Outdoor Power Equipment

The air quality crisis hiding in plain sight

For decades, petrol-powered Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) has been used daily on streets, parks and on construction sites across Europe. It has been viewed as an unremarkable part of the working landscape. But new research from MILWAUKEE® reveals a far more troubling picture, one that demands attention from professionals, businesses and policymakers alike.

The figures are striking. Petrol-powered tools and equipment contribute to the release of 108 million tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year. And unlike heavy industry or transport, it’s a source of pollution that has largely gone unchallenged.

A hidden killer

The problem runs deeper than carbon. Two-stroke petrol engines, the type found in many leaf blowers, trimmers and chainsaws, burn a mixture of oil and fuel that produces significantly higher levels of hydrocarbons and particulate matter than modern four-stroke engines. Regulatory agencies have found that a single petrol leaf blower, operated for just one hour, generates smog-forming pollution equivalent to driving a modern passenger car for 1,700 kilometres, roughly the distance from Amsterdam to Barcelona.

The pollutants released, including PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), are carcinogenic. They carry serious health consequences: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment. The risks are particularly acute for the operators who work with this equipment day in, day out.

MILWAUKEE®’s 2024 Construction Safety Research found that one in three workers is exposed to harmful fumes between three and five days per week. These are real people, doing real jobs, carrying a health burden that has for too long been accepted as simply part of the work.

The financial reality

The cost is not only measured in health. Air pollution costs the European Union €600 billion annually, equivalent to 4% of its GDP. WHO/Europe and the European Respiratory Society say respiratory diseases alone cause over €17 billion in productivity losses each year.

Research by the WHO across 432 European cities found that every city inhabitant suffers an average welfare loss of more than €1,250 per year as a direct result of poor air quality.

For businesses, there are regulatory and financial risks attached to petrol use that are often overlooked. Spillages remain commonplace on jobsites. And under the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, contaminated soil must be excavated and disposed of as hazardous waste. Just one litre of spilled petrol can contaminate up to one million litres of groundwater. The potential cleanup costs are enormous.

The case for change

The transition to battery power is already well underway. A survey of more than 2,000 professional users found that 93% now use at least some battery-powered tools, and 76% describe their experience as good or excellent. Perhaps most tellingly, 78% of professionals now believe cordless systems can serve as true replacements for petrol-powered equipment.

That confidence is backed by real-world performance. MILWAUKEE®’s M18 FUEL™ OPE line-up delivers petrol-matching power across chainsaws, trimmers, blowers and more. REDLITHIUM™ FORGE™ battery technology provides up to 50% more power than previous generations and faster charging, thanks to an integrated COOL-CYCLE™ system which cools the battery during the charging process. This speeds up charge times considerably by eliminating the need to wait for the battery to cool down before it can begin to charge. For remote working situations, the M18 FUEL™ QUIK-LOK™ system and ROLL-ON portable power supply address versatility and charging needs in the field.

On noise alone, the benefits are clear. Petrol tools can operate at more than 100 dB(A), above the UK HSE’s daily exposure limit of 87 dB(A). Battery alternatives can reduce that by more than 10 dB(A), which effectively halves perceived loudness.

The economics make sense

Cost remains the most cited barrier to adoption, with 47% of respondents identifying it as the primary obstacle. But when the full picture is considered, the numbers tell a different story.

Running costs for battery-powered equipment sit at approximately €0.10 to €0.60 per hour. For petrol equipment, costs range from €0.60 to €1.65 per hour, before oil mixing, maintenance and compliance costs are factored in. Industry analysis shows that annual running cost savings from switching to battery can exceed 90%, with the initial investment recouped within 9 to 24 months.

And 95% of professionals see clear benefits in unified battery platforms, a single ecosystem can power an entire team.

Looking ahead

Regulatory change is already happening. California has introduced a ban on the sale of new petrol-powered tools in built-up areas. More than 100 US municipalities have enacted bans on petrol leaf blowers. Stockholm and Oslo have established comprehensive no-emission zones. Europe is watching and the direction of travel is clear.

MILWAUKEE®’s ‘Room to Breathe’ whitepaper maps out what needs to happen next: supporting regulatory action, accelerating the industry transition to cordless, investing in charging infrastructure and demonstrating what battery power can genuinely achieve.

The technology is ready. The performance is there. And the MILWAUKEE® Jobsite Solutions (JSS) team can arrange hands-on demonstrations so professionals can see and feel the difference for themselves.

The question now is how quickly the industry moves.