The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Inc.

Homeowners Guide
To Low Emission Engines

It's Time To Clear The Air About Lawnmower Emissions And The Environment

When it comes to learning about lawnmowers and engine emissions, some public information has been outdated, misstated, or simply not true. In fact, information has been distributed that makes unrealistic comparisons between today's lawnmowers and automobiles.

According to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), the industry's trade association, these types of comparisons are misleading for these reasons:

An average automobile is driven approximately 14,000 miles in one year, and uses hundreds of gallons of gasoline; while a typical walk-behind lawnmower is run on the average of 25 hours per year and uses only a few gallons of gasoline.
It is also important to note that the estimated number of lawn mowers in the U.S. today is approximately 38 million, compared to 159 million automobiles on the road.

An inaccurate claim is that after two years the average lawnmower will produce 34 times as many smog-forming emissions as an average passenger car. The fact is, that on an annual basis, new automobiles generate ten times more emissions than new lawnmowers. That is, a new automobile would generate 20-lb. of smog-forming emissions in two years, compared to a new walk-behind lawnmower that would generate 2.1-lbs. of emissions in two years.

Another bit of misleading information stems from an old 1991 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study on emissions that reports small, non-road engines as the source of ten percent of total emissions in the U.S. Based on this, a false assumption is often made that lawn and garden equipment generates ten percent of the nation's airborne pollution. The fact that is often overlooked is that lawn and garden equipment is only a small part of EPA's non-road engine category, which includes marine engines, construction and agricultural equipment, industrial engines, airport service equipment and other commercial sources. Actually, the total contribution of smog-forming emissions from all of today's lawn and garden equipment is significantly lower, under two percent. And with walk-behind mowers it's even smaller, less than one percent.

On top of that, today's outdoor power equipment is now powered by engines that run on average 70% cleaner than those built in 1990. Design improvements have produced an entire new generation of outdoor power equipment with engines that are more fuel efficient, more durable and cleaner running. In addition, using outdoor power equipment is a time saving way to be environmentally helpful -- like mulching grass clippings to lessen the burden on landfills or recycling yard waste into compost with the help of a chipper-shredder.

Mowing the lawn is a spring ritual that's been part of home-owning life in America for nearly a century. Over the last thirty years, both the public and the industry have also become more aware of air pollution and are mutually concerned about finding ways to reduce it.

New technologies engineered by environmentally conscious manufacturers have led to the production of small, non-road, four-cycle engines that comply with standards established by the EPA for small spark-ignition engines of 25 horsepower or less, manufactured as of September, 1997 and later. These engines are substantially cleaner than similar 1990 models. As consumers purchase and use this new, cleaner running equipment, they will be doing their part for cleaner air.

The industry has also developed new, specially designed fuel cans that help reduce emissions caused by spilled fuel. Consumers can also reduce emissions further by using these new fuel cans and by taking care when refilling fuel.

"Don't spill when you fill" is the phrase to remember when gassing up outdoor power equipment.

With this new generation of outdoor power equipment, taking care of your lawn and garden is just part of taking care of the environment.