Lawn mower trade-ins popular

A program that will allow Clark County residents to swap gasoline-powered lawn mowers for electric ones is doubling in size this year, thanks to a $200,000 donation from NV Energy.

The county will have 2,000 cordless electric mowers available to trade for gasoline mowers starting Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium on the east end of Russell Road.

Last year, the county swapped the 1,000 battery-powered mowers in two weeks, a much faster pace than officials expected.

Because the program proved so popular, the county is expanding it and offering people a choice between two sizes of mowers, said Brenda Manlove Williams, spokeswoman for the county's Department of Air Quality and Management.

Besides trading in their old gasoline mowers, participants must pay a $99 fee and fill out an application, she said.

In return, they will receive a new electric mower that has an estimated retail price of $400.

The utility's donation will pay for almost half of the electric mowers, and a $238,000 state grant will cover the remainder, she said.

This year's swap is kicking off on the week of Earth Day to mark the county's push to improve air quality, she said.

"The lawn mower exchange program is an important part of our efforts to build awareness of our need to reduce pollutants like ground-level ozone," County Commissioner Susan Brager said in a statement.

As the weather warms, sunlight and heat cause ozone, an odorless gas, to concentrate near the ground, where it can irritate the lungs and make breathing more difficult.

Running a gasoline mower for an hour spews exhaust that is equal to driving 43 late-model cars for the same period, according to federal studies.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.