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Pesticide-free sign and garden

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The Office of Sustainability and Environment no longer works on the City's pesticide reduction program. The Department of Parks and Recreation is a key department implementing this program and you can find information at www.seattle.gov/parks/Horticulture/pesticide.htm. Information below is for informational purposes only and is no longer updated by our department.

Pesticide Reduction

Originally an element of the City's Environmental Management Program, the goals of the pesticide reduction program are to eliminate the use of the most potentially hazardous herbicides and insecticides and to reduce overall pesticide use.

The City of Seattle manages over 110,000 acres of public land, of which 12,000 acres are highly developed and managed grounds including greenhouses, specialty gardens, roadsides and medians, golf courses, and hundreds of miles of electrical transmission right-of-way.

Grounds staff, who have been practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for over 20 years using pest prevention and mechanical and cultural methods in landscape maintenance, were involved from the inception of the program. This resulted in a widely accepted approach that stretched our idea of what was possible and provided staff with other tools as well as the freedom to try things that might not work. Employee driven innovations have resulted in the elimination of Tier 1 insecticides and herbicides and a reduction in overall pesticide use.

Pesticide Program Policy and Development

Environmental Management Program Chemical Use Policy (Doc 32KB)

Landscape and Grounds Management Policy (Doc 27KB)

Landscape and Grounds Management Guidelines (PDF 994KB)

Pesticide Reduction Strategy Document (Doc 68KB)

Pesticide Use Fact Sheet (Doc 44 KB)

Tri County Integrated Pest Management Policy

Pesticide Signage Standards (Doc 22KB)

Standard Sign Example (Doc 27KB)

Pesticide Product Review Process

Pilot Projects

Pesticide Free Parks

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