Kansas Healthy Yards and Communities
Air Quality
Maintain your lawn equipment. Change the oil and air filters regularly and sharpen your blades every 10 hours of use. It will keep your motor running smoothly and emit fewer pollutants. Small engines mean big pollution.
More Lawn Equipment Tips:
- Mowing your lawn with a gas mower for one hour emits as much pollution as driving a car from KC to Wichita. Make the change over to an electric mower. Many companies now offer cordless electric mowers that produce almost no pollution from exhaust emissions or fuel evaporation.
- Small engines, like lawn mowers, emit hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides - pollutants that contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and can put you, your family and your community at risk. Mow your lawn at night. Heat and sunlight help to form ground-level ozone. By mowing after 7pm and not mowing on Ozone Alert days, you can reduce your personal impact.
- Small engines emit high levels of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. Reduce how often you mow. For healthier grass, you should let your lawn grow to 5” and set your mower to cut at a minimum of 3-3.5”. You’ll save gas and a lot of effort.
- Engines from small garden equipment contribute about 5% to the nations total air pollution. Try a reel mower… perfect for small lawns. You will create zero emissions and burn as many as 500 calories while you mow!
Resources
- Clean Air Lawn Care
- EPA - Your Lawn and Clean Air
- Grass Recycling Fact Sheet
- Mowing Your Lawn
- Recycling Grass Clippings
Do You Have Questions?
Have questions? The Garden Hotline is staffed by trained EMG volunteers and Extension staff who will assist you with questions.
Phone: (913) 715-7050
Email: garden.help@jocogov.org