Street cleaning and weed control

Introduction

We have sought to minimise the use of glyphosate herbicide to control weeds in public spaces such as grass verges, highways, paved areas, parks and gardens across Cheltenham in response to the climate and ecological emergencies that we are facing, however the trial to reduce the weed spraying by 50% and only deliver one targeted weed spray across the borough has not adequately managed the amount of weed growth.  

In May 2024 one targeted weed spray took place across the borough and, from 16 September 2024, a second weed spray will take place following concerns about the amount of weeds and vegetation across the borough. Prior to COVID-19 the borough received two weed sprays a year with some manual weed removal after weeds had died back and this managed the weed growth across the borough and it is this approach that the council is reverting back to until more appropriate weed control methods are available to us. To reduce the use of chemical herbicides and manage unwanted vegetation, we have trialled alternatives methods including manual weed removal.

We are constantly reviewing our methods of managing unwanted vegetation and are continually looking into and considering cost effective alternatives to the use of the glyphosate herbicide to control vegetation/weeds in the hope of moving away from the use of this chemical altogether in the future.

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Background - glyphosate safety and guidance

We are aware of a growing concern from residents about the use of herbicides in the town which is demonstrated by a number of enquiries via councillors, FOI requests and residents themselves.

The European Commission has stated that it would – based on comprehensive safety assessments carried out by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency), and regulatory experts in EU Member States – now proceed with the renewal of the approval of glyphosate for a period of 10 years, subject to certain new conditions and restrictions. On 29 November, the European Commission published the ‘Implementing Regulation’, renewing the approval of glyphosate for a period of 10 years, until 15 December 2033. The current GB licence for glyphosate is due to expire in December 2025. However, it is expected that the UK government will initiate a renewal process before then. 

National agencies across the world have declared glyphosate to be safe to use however some countries have now decided to ban glyphosate or severely curtail its use but the UK continues to say glyphosate based products are safe to use.

Our contractors always follow the advice given by the manufacturers and agronomists and always follow the instructions provided on the label. By following this guidance, they can be sure that the herbicides we use are not hazardous to people, children, pets, and wildlife including insects.

Guidance

The Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) recently provided a briefing to its members on glyphosate. Some notable points:

• There is no right or wrong answer to the question "is it safe to use glyphosate products."
• There are few alternatives to glyphosate and those which are seen as alternatives are often still in a pilot phase and much more expensive to use.
• There may be a need for the public to accept higher levels of weeds if the use of glyphosate is banned.
• Ending the use of pesticides on hard surfaces will likely mean that there will be more visible weeds for longer periods of time. However, weeds do contribute to biodiversity by providing a habitat and source of food for bees and other insects.

Of particular note, APSE says "it may be prudent for all local authorities to carefully consider the scale of glyphosate use, the likely risks arising, the potential to limit the reliance on glyphosate-based products and the ability to find a suitable alternative product to prepare for the future".

Background to trial - 2020 to 2024

Most glyphosate use in Cheltenham is undertaken in the highway environment; roads, pavements and alleyways. It is used around obstacles in grass verges including street signs, light columns, and inspection chambers to name but a few. A specialist company is contracted to apply a twice year weed spray in early Spring and Summer, and to a much lesser extent in parks and open spaces where its use has been minimised to control invasive weeds (i.e. Japanese knotweed) for which the authority has a statutory duty and woody perennials such as tree and shrub stumps.

Glyphosate is also used by Cheltenham Borough Homes to control vegetation on hard standing areas, and garage forecourts on three occasions per year. 

Trialling of alternative approaches and proposed management

We began trialling alternative approaches to weed spraying in spring 2020 and continue to do this each year. Trials of alternative methods of vegetation control were undertaken in order to assess their effectiveness and suitability in Cheltenham. In 2020, as a result of Covid-19, we did not commence with glyphosate herbicide applications to highways and significantly reduced the amount applied to Cheltenham Borough Homes land and continued with minimal amounts applied to its own parks and green spaces. Money normally spent on herbicide treatment was instead used to undertake manual removal, strimming and hoeing, however, this is very labour intensive and expensive. This approach demonstrated that significant resource is required for manual weed removal and a combination of one weed spray and significant amounts of manual weed removal is necessary to keep weeds to an acceptable level for the public although this is now too difficult to fund to an adequate level.

It should be highlighted that other authorities who have adopted alternative approaches to weed control rather than using glyphosate herbicides, such as Brighton and Lambeth, have required additional budget to deliver more environmentally friendly manual approaches. In 2023 a number of councils including Brighton and Hove have reverted back to using two annual weed sprays acknowledging the cost of dealing with weed growth. Cheltenham is now having to do the same until better methods of weed control can be found.

Conclusions from trialling alternative approaches

Early signs indicate there is no direct chemical replacement for glyphosate and alternative treatments such as hot foams, acid, electricity and flame throwers are far less efficient in terms of material cost and labour involved applying them. There is no single method that is likely to replace the use of glyphosate in controlling weeds. Our future approach to vegetation management will incorporate a mixture of manual clearance, more expensive alternative treatments (used on a smaller scale where manual ones are not possible) and in some circumstances not to treat the vegetation at all.  

The approach moving forward - September 2024

In May 2024 one targeted weed spray took place across the borough and from 16 September 2024 a second weed spray will take place following concerns about the amount of weeds and vegetation across the borough. Prior to COVID-19 the borough received two weed sprays a year with some manual weed removal after weeds had died back and this managed the weed growth across the borough and it is this approach that the council is reverting back to until more appropriate weed control methods are available to us. To reduce the use of chemical herbicides and manage unwanted vegetation, we have trialled alternatives methods including manual weed removal. 

Weed spraying and manual weed removal is carried out to remove unwanted weed growth that may inhibit drainage channels or create trip hazards for the public. The approach involves clearing weeds from hard landscape areas, foot ways and around the base of non-living obstacles, such as lighting columns, signage, and street furniture. The weed spraying also targets highways and council owned car parks.

The operator holds an appropriate NPTC certificate of competence and will have calibrated application equipment. The nozzle selection will take into account the volume of application and other product label recommendations to avoid drift and excessive application. Before starting application, the operator will check that the weather is suitable, members of the public are not going to be put at risk and due regard has been taken of nearby watercourses, drains, other environmental factors and neighbouring properties.

We still continue each year to try to find the most environmentally friendly method with the aim of moving away from the use of glyphosate herbicide spraying altogether.

In 2024, we are trialling a different type of weed spray around the obstacles across the borough. Around the obstacles our contractor will be using Amega Duo in mix with Codacide. This is an efficient and cost-effective method for the broad-spectrum treatment of weeds. It combines the activity of a residual and total systemic herbicide. Use of the mixture can reduce the amount of glyphosate applied and can control weeds for up to eight months, reducing strimming and mowing operations. Amega Duo and Codacide are classified as non-toxic for skin, ingestion, inhalation, and is non carcinogenic. It works by acting on an enzyme found in plants. As for re-entry there is no requirement to restrict access to an area that has been treated with Amega Duo mixed with Codacide under normal usage conditions, by people, pets and wildlife. Therefore, we are advised that it is safe for animals and wildlife. Yellow discolouration will be seen after weed spraying where nutrients are withdrawing to the root system in advance of the plant dying.

For more information regarding the chemicals used during the weed spray in Cheltenham, please visit our contractors website. In Cheltenham please note that the contractor will only be using Amega Duo in mix with Codacide. 

Managing expectations 

Untreated vegetation is traditionally regarded as untidy and a sign of poor maintenance and until we all understand the value of biodiversity and the role weeds and wild flowers play in the environment, we will need to help the public understand its value and our approach to weed control. TV presenters like Jimmy Doherty and his TV programme saving the bees helps us understand the need to review our traditional approach to grounds maintenance.

A programme of works will be published on the website, and updated regularly, identifying where weed removal has taken place and where weed spraying will be taking place. 

The public are encouraged to get involved in more wild flower planting on private land to provide bee corridors and even leaving some weeds for insects.

You can download a PDF version of the policy which is appendix a of the environmental services policy updated October 2020. This policy is due to be updated in the next 12 months following the results of the trial.