How does the council control weeds?
Now that the council no longer uses glyphosate, weeds are removed in the following ways:
- Mechanical brooms sweep along the kerb channels, cutting weeds as they go.
- Manual sweepers are tasked with weeding the pavements, doing this alongside their litter-picking and sweeping duties as time allows.
- Once a year, each street is visited by a weeding team who will carry out a thorough manual weed, removing all growth.
Manual weeding is time-consuming, so we’re likely to see more wild plants growing on our pavements than we used to before the council stopped using glyphosate.
Wild plants provide homes and food for a variety of organisms and insects, including vital pollinators. When in flower they give a welcome burst of colour as well as an opportunity to encounter nature as part of our daily routine.