The amount of pesticide use by the Council has reduced considerably over the past ten years and the Policy going forward is to reduce it to the very minimum with the aim of eliminating use entirely as part of our 2030 Strategy. We have also reduced the mowing frequency and increased areas of grass allowed to grow naturally with only a few cuts a year and fully support the “No Mow” May initiative to improve the biodiversity in our open spaces as well as in parks and closed cemeterys.
On open spaces we minimise the use of pesticides but may still use weedkiller on path edges and tarmac areas to treat weeds if necessary to prevent trip hazards.
In Stratford Park we have permanent staff who carry out edging and hoeing operations to remove weeds therefore use of herbicides is infrequent.
Adopted Highways are maintained by mechanical sweeping but can also be removed by manual methods in areas the road sweeper cannot reach. The County Council no longer use weedkiller on paths and kerb lines
During the winter months Ubico our main Contractor carry out extensive back edging and weeding of hard surfaces by hand.
Whenever possible green waste is either composted or used as mulching material on shrub beds to suppress weeds and conserve moisture
