Of the 368 responses we received from UK councils, we estimate that around 45% are taking action to end or reduce their pesticide use. This can range from small actions, such as running a trial of non-chemical alternatives in one part of a town to councils that have managed to end all their pesticide use other than for controlling invasive species.
Over the last decade, PAN UK has worked directly with hundreds of councils to help them transition away from pesticides. There are almost infinite ways to go about it and councils tend to choose the approach that best suits their local context. While we advocate for councils to end their pesticide use entirely, any reduction in use is a positive step forward since it lowers the level of chemical exposure for both humans and the environment.
Given all these nuances, we have chosen not to focus solely on councils that are “pesticide-free” but to instead celebrate and recognise the efforts of all those councils across the UK working hard to reduce their pesticide use.