The Cleveland Department of Public Health and its Division of Air Quality have launched a rebate program that will give $100 gift cards to Cuyahoga County residents who scrap their gasoline-powered lawn mowers and purchase new battery-powered electric models.
It's as simple as that. The rebate program will be limited to the first 200 folks to register. And once confirmed, participants need only purchase a new model at a retailer of their choice — here are some hot 2022 options, available at places like Home Depot and Ace Hardware — and then scrap their gas mower at a scrap yard. After submitting receipts for both the purchase and the scrap, they can go pick up the gift card, which at the very least might lessen the sticker shock.
The rebate program may seem like a marginal effort in the local sustainability campaign, but gasoline-powered mowers are a significant contributor to air pollution. According to 2016 data from the Environmental Protection Agency, gas-powered lawn care equipment resulted in the deaths of between 7-15 people in Cuyahoga County annually. (Mortality numbers in red box below.)
Cleveland's division of air quality notes that not only are battery-powered mowers better for the environment, but they're cleaner, quieter and more versatile for the consumer. (The battery packs can often be used on other battery-powered equipment of the same brand.) Especially if you've got a small or medium-sized yard, the program is worth considering.
Registration opens today, May 5.
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