Allegheny Health Department Trades Cash for Woodstoves

The Allegheny County Health Department is offering County residents cash incentives once again 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, September 27, from to 1 to 4 p.m., at Boyce Park in Monroeville, at the wave pool parking lot off 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.

The program is for Allegheny County residents, and participants must register in advance. For more information or to register, please call 412-578-8106 or visit www.achd.net/air/bounty/. Registrations will be accepted until September 25, 2014.

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.