The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) is changing its guidelines for its Old Car Buy Back Program, offering Santa Barbara County residents more money for their unwanted vehicles.
APCD is now accepting vehicles model year 2002 or older and is paying participants $2,200 per vehicle.
Previously, only cars model year 1997 or older were accepted, and participants were paid $1,000.
Since 1993, APCD’s program has allowed the agency to purchase vehicles from Santa Barbara County residents looking to retire their older cars, which produce more pollution than newer versions.
APCD officials say the program has cut nearly 1,000 tons of smog-forming pollution by removing more than 8,100 older cars from the road.
“With the increased cost of used cars, these program changes are critical to entice people to retire their old, polluting vehicles and replace them with cars that use cleaner technology,” said APCD Executive Director Aeron Arlin Genet in a press release. “Under this program, people can put that $2,200 toward the purchase of a newer, cleaner car or they can pocket it and take advantage of alternative transportation options like riding the bus or a bicycle.”
According to the agency, funding for this program comes from vehicle registration fees designated for local air districts.
APCD will pay $2,200 for 2002-or-older gasoline or diesel cars, light-duty trucks, vans, or SUVs, if the following conditions are met:
- Vehicles must have been registered in Santa Barbara County for the past two consecutive years
- Vehicles must be in working condition
- Vehicles must be smog-certified
Agency officials say the old cars are crushed by a licensed auto dismantler, permanently removing them from the road.
APCD reportedly works with five dismantlers in Goleta, Lompoc, and Santa Maria.
For more information on APCD's updated program, visit the agency's webpage.
