An experiment in weeding
While most councils still rely on glyphosate to control weeds, Chiswick in the London borough of Hounslow banned the pesticide years ago. How's that gone?
I feel I should preface this update by admitting that Chiswick isn’t an area I know at all. If you asked me to point to it on a map I’d take a guess at somewhere near the M25 and expect that it would be described as a “leafy” area - that beloved media descriptor which is shorthand for affluent and mostly middle-class.
Having spent last week talking to some of its residents, it seems likely that most would agree with that description for the town whose claim to fame is being the finish line for the Oxford/Cambridge boat race.
But ‘leafy’ might well give way to ‘weedy’ according to some residents who have been campaigning to bring back pesticide spraying. So what’s going on?
The pictures below were very kindly supplied by a local resident and, as we discussed in last week’s newsletter, it will depend on your feelings towards neatness how you view these streets.
It’s been almost five years since the wider Hounslow borough which includes Chiswick stopped using glyphosate and instead asked contractors to weed the pavements by hand.
But earlier this year the council gave permission for glyphosate to be used once again.
As Bridget Osborne at the Chiswick Calendar reports, “Hounslow Highways clears weeds from the public highways on behalf of the London Borough of Hounslow. The Council stopped using chemicals on weeds in 2020 ‘as a part of our commitment to ensuring a cleaner and greener Hounslow’, but in October last year it said it was considering returning to using glyphosate.”
According to local people, there has been a concerted campaign by those who feel the streets are too messy. Looking at local media, letters like this from local councillor Cllr John Todd on W4.com saying that the streets were ‘currently unsightly and uncared for with weeds out of control’, are not unusual.
(We did approach Cllr Todd for comment and await a response).
What lessons can campaigners in other areas learn from this experience?
I spoke with a campaigner working to keep the glyphosate ban in place for everything other than invasive weeds such as Japanese Knotweed.
She suggested that, instead of simply looking at the bottom line when it comes to spending on pesticide versus manual weeding, councils should put the true environmental cost into the equation.
“In these times of constrained budgets, it is difficult, but if you’re not counting the environmental damage and effects on nature it’s not weighing the correct cost scales.”
She also felt there could be more education for householders so they understand why the streets are less tidy and appreciate the important difference they could make themselves.
Responding to our request, Hounslow Council provided the following information from a cabinet spokesperson:
“Cabinet approved the use of glyphosate to treat, and kill, weeds across the borough, earlier this year. Glyphosate has been in limited use since 2019 for invasive plant removal – namely Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed.
“The non-chemical-based alternatives and manual removal of weeds that we have trialled are ineffective at managing and controlling the spread, strength, and frequency of weed growth on our roads. As a consequence, some pathways have been obstructed and some hard surfaces across the borough are at risk of deterioration.
“We are currently working to reintroduce broader use of glyphosate. Its use will be targeted, it is regulated, and application will be conducted in line with requirements.”
We have requested the comparitive costs from the council and will update the story once those have been provided.
In addition The Chiswick Area Forum is discussing the issue on Wednesday (July 2) night and we’ll update you on what comes out here. The forum is organised by the Council for local councillors to tell people what has been going on in their neighbourhood.
Update: An attendee at the forum decribed a lively meeting where the issues were outlined and council officers continue to look for non-glyphosate solutions although some spraying is now taking place. Esme Winterbotham at The Chiswick Calendar also covered the meeting in more detail.
This article is part of our series, In the Weeds, campaigning journalism looking to change the rules on the use of glyphosate weedkiller in public spaces, parks and pavements across the UK. This journalism is being made possible by the Tenacious Awards.