Pay bounty on old woodstoves, wood-fired boilers

The Allegheny County Health Department is offering County residents cash incentives to
dispose of old woodstoves and outdoor wood-fired boilers that do not
meet current national emission standards.

The collection event
will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 1-4 p.m ., at Boyce Park in
Monroeville, at the wave pool parking lot off of Old Frankstown Road.

“This
is the third ‘bounty’ collection program that we have offered at the
county because of the success of the program,” said County Executive
Rich Fitzgerald. “Perhaps residents are already thinking about the need
to upgrade what they use and move away from wood-fired equipment; this
program adds an additional incentive to do so.”

The Health
Department is offering a $500 cash incentive for non-Phase II outdoor
wood-fired boilers and a $200 gift card for uncertified woodstoves. The
bounties will be offered for up to five outdoor wood-fired boilers and
200 woodstoves. The gift cards are for Home Depot, Kmart, Dick’s
Sporting Goods, GetGo and Giant Eagle.

“We created these bounty
programs in response to an increasing number of citizen complaints about
wood-burning emissions and to help reduce the smoke and fine
particulate pollution that come from using old wood-burning equipment.
Together, we can make a difference in reducing or eliminating fine
particulate pollution,” said Health Director Dr. Karen Hacker.

No
stoves or boilers will be accepted the day of the event from anyone who
has not registered in advance. Stoves and boilers will be processed by
Tube City IMS at its Recycling Center in West Mifflin.

At the
first two collection events, 129 woodstoves and one outdoor wood-fired
boiler manufactured before emission standards were set for such
equipment were turned in and taken out of service, helping to reduce
wood-burning emissions in Allegheny County.

The bounty program is supported by a $75,000 grant from the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund.