The City of Wichita will continue a rebate program for residents who buy electric or battery-powered lawn equipment and recycle their combustion equipment.
The Lawn Care Rebate Program is funded with a grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment through the Environmental Protection Agency. It encourages residents to replace their gas-powered lawn mowers and other equipment with electric or battery-powered devices.
Public Works Director Gary Janzen said air quality modeling has found that non-road mobile sources, such as lawn mowers, make up 25 to 36 percent of local emissions. The program is aimed at reducing ozone emissions within the city.
Janzen said the 2023 program paid close to $2,000 in rebates, and it resulted in 41 combustion lawn care devices being removed from service, and that has made a difference in the city’s air quality.
To be eligible for the rebate, residents have to provide proof that they have recycled their existing combustion device. The rebates will be up to $100 for lawn mowers and other equipment, and a rebate for mulch blades will be $30.
The program will begin March 1st to coincide with the beginning of ozone season, and it will end December 31st or when funding is exhausted. The city will have just over $7,500 for the program this year.
