Map of Herbicide Applications in 2021-2023

A provision in the HOPS bill requires Philadelphia Parks and Rec and all other government divisions that apply pesticides to public spaces to start keeping records of pesticide applications, which they were not doing previously to the passage of HOPS.  The report was not made public, so TFP submitted a Right to Know request, which was approved.
​The report showed that the City sprayed its own public lands with 16.2 tons of toxic herbicides in 2022 alone, and 15.64 tons in 2023.

What YOU can do: Mayor Parker, enforce HOPS now

Download TFP analysis of PPR 2023 Pesticide report

Download TFP analysis of 2022 PPR herbicide reports

Glyphosate

The total amount of glyphosate-based products  used in Philly public spaces in 2023: Approx 5.45 tons, more than double the 2022 amounts.

2,4-D
​(one of the two active components of Agent Orange)

The total amount of 2,4-D used on Philly public grounds in 2023: 2.73 tons

PPR Staff sprayed over 9 tons of synthetic herbicides in 2023 

The stated use of the large majority of glyphosate by PPR staff was for
Ballfields, Building Perimeter Fence Lines, Trail and Forest Edges,
Pavement Sidewalks, and Right of Way areas.

​NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS to serve on HOPS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Are you an expert in Organic Land Management, the occupational hazards of pesticide use, and/or environmental justice? Serve on the Public Health Department's inaugural HOPS Committee to enforce one of the most progressive pesticide laws in the country.  Read more

Philadelphia will join over 100 US cities, including NYC, in severely restricting the use of toxic herbicides on all City grounds, including parks, right of ways, playgrounds, and recreation centers.

In Philadelphia, at least 18 toxic herbicides are applied to
​public grounds, including glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Roundup, and 2,4-D, one of the two active ingredients in Agent Orange. This is unacceptable, and completely unnecessary, given the wealth of cost-effective non-toxic solutions that are available.

Protect city employees: Our public employees and sub contractors also have the right to a safe work environment and shouldn’t be exposed to synthetic toxic pesticides. In the last two years, over $2 billion has been awarded against pesticide manufacturers for causing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to people who applied synthetic pesticides.

New information: Every week new information is added to the already significant evidence that exposure to synthetic pesticides is linked to asthma, cancer, developmental and learning disabilities, nerve and immune system damage, liver and kidney damage, reproductive impairment, birth defects, and disruption of the endocrine system.
​
Children are the most vulnerable: Infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems and chemical sensitivities are especially vulnerable.

Our mission and vision

MAP of US Pesticide Reform Policies

Toxic Free Philly is a growing coalition of concerned Philadelphia residents, visitors, neighbors, and organizations. We advocate for all Philadelphia public grounds to be safe, healthy, and thriving habitats for residents and wildlife alike. Our approach is to bring together public health experts, community leaders, business interests, the urban agriculture community, lawyers and local government to work to protect public health and restore environmental quality.
Our short term goals include an ordinance severely restricting the use of harmful, synthetic herbicides, particularly glyphosate and 2,4-D, on city grounds. We are currently arranging a collaboration around a pilot park program that will transition two public parks to organic management protocols.
Our long term goal is to pass robust legislation in Philadelphia severely restricting the application of all harmful, synthetic pesticides on city grounds, including toxic insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides, and replacing the toxic paradigm with organic land management protocols.  

"THE EVIDENCE IS OVERWHELMING"

Why we are concerned, and why you should be, too.

Are pesticides really so bad?