New non-chemical weed killers in use at Fulham Palace
Last year we were one of the first councils in the country to halt the standardised use of potentially harmful glyphosate weed killers from being sprayed in public places.
We took this step to better protect people and their pets but also to safeguard bees and other wildlife essential to our environment.
We've been trialling new non-chemical alternatives – with hot foam and hot water being the chosen treatments now being used across the borough.
“The standardised spraying of toxic chemicals is not good for our environment or for all of us who live and work in it. So we've been trialling other environmentally-positive approaches.” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services.
"There have been teething problems which we're fixing but we're determined to keep our streets some of the cleanest anywhere while also striving to be the greenest borough in the country.
Treatments
The council’s contractors are now using a hot foam treatment across our parks and estates and a hot water treatment for roadside weeds.
To use these new treatments, we had to buy completely new equipment and train our staff how to use it.
The new non-chemical treatments are kinder to the environment, so are better for bees and other wildlife, as well as people.
A borough-wide weeding program is currently underway. If your street has not yet been treated, it will be done shortly.
Due to the size of some of the weeds, they may need more than one treatment to be killed off, but the teams will also weed by hand to ensure unsightly weeds are kept to a minimum.
To report a weed issue or other street mess, download our Report It app to your smartphone, or report it online.
You can also find out what else we’re doing to become the greenest borough in the country and how you can help.
