Now there is an easy way for consumers throughout the Pacific Northwest to make smart choices in lawn and garden products that are safer for people, pets and the environment: The Grow Smart, Grow Safe® app.

Products available in area stores are rated low, medium or high hazard to help shoppers make smart choices. Take this tool to the store or out to the garage and find out how your favorite lawn and garden products rate. The app even offers great tips on gardening without pesticides. Download for free at the iTunes App Store.

The app was created by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County; Portland Metro; and Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, to provide reliable, science-based information to all consumers.

Grow Smart, Grow Safe® uses science-based research to rate pesticide safety. Products listed in Grow Smart, Grow Safe® are commonly available at many retail outlets, and are registered for home use by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. It’s also been approved for use by Washington and Oregon Master Gardeners.

The new app is an offshoot of a publication that was first published in 1998 by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program; it is now available atwww.growsmartgrowsafe.org.

More information is available from the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County at 206-263-3050.