Know Your Active Ingredients

Pesticides are made up of two types of ingredients — active and inert. The active ingredient or “AI” is the chemical portion of a pesticide product that can kill or control a pest. The remainder of a formulated pesticide product consists of one or more inert ingredients, such as water and solvents. The essence of the Our Water, Our World Program is the identification and selection of pesticides with active ingredients less likely to cause water pollution. The resources listed below provide information and identify less-toxic pesticides as options to more conventional pesticides.

List of less-toxic products, organized by brand

List of less-toxic products, organized by pest

List of less-toxic active ingredients

Criteria and process for developing less-toxic products lists