Mulching Mower Rebates

A few years ago, an organization in Chicago called Clean Air Counts, provided funding for rebates. The funding is gone now but several communities tried to encourage lawn mower buy back programs. Oak Park provided the attached info:

LAWNCARE BUY-BACK EVENT
April 28, 2007 Summary Most participants reside in Oak Park and were informed of the event via the Wednesday Journal with the second highest from the Villages' newsletter (FYI). Note that 30% of the participants either did not inform us of how they found out about the event or they saw a newspaper ad but the newspaper name was unknown. The participants turned in gasoline powered lawnmowers for a $150.00 rebate and/or a $50.00 rebate for a weed whacker / chain saw / leaf blower when they purchase an eco-friendly piece of equipment. Data (rounded up)

*304 entries
*292 cars / participants
*290 lawnmowers (95%)
* 13 weed whackers (4%)
* 5 leaf blowers (1.5%)
* 1 trimmer (.5%) and
* 1 chain saw (.5%)

LAWNCARE BUY-BACK EVENT JULY 22, 2006 Summary

Most participants reside in Oak Park, were informed of the event via the Villages' newsletter (FYI) or the mass e-mail, and turned in lawnmowers for a $150.00 rebate.

Data
*145 entries
*135 cars / participants
* 93% (135) lawnmowers
* 7% (10) weed whackers / leaf blower and chain saw

In the Seattle/King County area we only rebate electric mulch mowers as part of an annual Northwest Natural Yard Days promotion. So they still use power but are not nearly as polluting as gas mowers. (I think the program also offers discounts on push mowers.) However, with a push mower you have to mow more often, and it requires more effort than some people are willing to expend--you have to face the fact that that's a real barrier for some people. I believe that the mulching mowers have the advantage of blowing very finely chopped grass so that it doesn't clump up. So there also benefits in terms of solid waste reduction, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers, and building soil with better infiltration and less run off. Here in the Seattle area, the popularity of grass in waning, but the reality is that some people want to have lawns and will continue to do so. Better to give them the tools to manage it with fewer negative impacts on the environment.

It would be a mistake for any Government agency to encourage power mowing, mulching or not. (See quotes from the EPA below). Reel mowers and scythes are easy to use and produce no pollution. Replacing grass with native shrubs or ornamentals is even better. Why pollute and drive your neighbors crazy with the noise of mowing to produce a monoculture that has not value except for cows. If you keep a cow, you don't need a mower either.

Quotes from the Environmental Protection Agency: Most people do not associate air pollution with mowing the lawn. Yet emissions from lawn mowers, snow blowers, chain saws, leaf vacuums, and similar outdoor power equipment are a significant source of pollution. Todays small engines emit high levels of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. They also emit hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, pollutants that contribute to the forma- tion of ozone. While ozone occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere and shields the earth from harmful radiation, ozone at ground level is a noxious pollutant. Ground-level ozone impairs lung function, inhibits plant growth, and is a key ingredient of smog. Gasoline-powered landscape equipment (mowers, trimmers, blowers, chainsaws) account for over 5% of our urban air pollution.

Marion Huxtable
Port Townsend

The King County (Washington) Natural Lawn Care program in the late '90s featured a limited (19 households in a single neighborhood) distribution of free mulching mowers as part of their campaign. One or more King County folks are members of this list and should be willing to comment. The contact I have is Julie Colehour of Colehour+Cohen. [email protected]

Michael Bergman

Reducing Toxics
and Southwest Region Environmental Educator
Washington Department of Ecology
360.407.6243
[email protected]