Adopting greener approaches

We maintain a wide variety of green spaces across the district, including parks, open spaces, recreation grounds, churchyards, woodlands and watercourses. To keep these areas clean, green and welcoming, a range of maintenance methods are used.

Minimising the use of pesticides is an important part of this work.

Reducing chemical use helps protect the health of staff, park users, wildlife and the wider environment.

National legislation, including the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and the Environment Act 2021, also places responsibilities on public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

Why we reduce pesticide use

• Pesticides can impact human health, harm wildlife and reduce biodiversity.
• Urban species are especially vulnerable, and pesticide use contributes to their decline.
• On hard surfaces, pesticides can quickly wash into drains and watercourses, affecting water quality.
• The reduction of pesticide use supports our Green Flag ambitions. 

Our approach

To minimise pesticide use in the spaces we manage, we:

• Avoid the use of chemical products unless no effective alternative method is available.
• Prioritise horticultural methods for weed control, such as mechanical techniques, strimming or hand-weeding wherever possible.
• Ensure contractors understand and follow this approach.
• Use no weedkiller within our Green Flag parks and open spaces.
• Over the last three years, have reduced pesticide use by 75%, using chemical treatment only where it is not practical or safe to use alternative methods, such as around street furniture and other hard-to-reach locations.
• When pesticide use is unavoidable, use only products listed in the GB Pesticide Approvals Register and comply with the Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012.
• Use only approved products with the lowest appropriate environmental impact. The product currently used is a glyphosate-based herbicide formulation which is primarily salt-based and considered lower risk than many historic alternatives. Stronger pesticide products previously available have been withdrawn from the market.
• Follow COSHH requirements and the Code of Practice for Plant Protection Products for safe handling, storage, application, equipment cleaning and disposal.
• Encourage developers to design open spaces that minimise the need for chemical treatments.
• Monitor the market for new products and opportunities to further reduce pesticide use.