Freedom from carcinogenic and biodiversity destroying pesticides is on the way.

Thanks to David Hetherington Buglife

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Over 100 councils across the UK have either ended their use of pesticides or taken significant steps towards doing so (50 are entirely pesticide-free). This is hugely significant and demonstrates that there is a strong desire amongst councils to reduce local residents’ exposure to chemicals and protect our environment from harmful pesticides. Map of pesticide free councils here.

The UK should follow the examples of France, Denmark and Luxembourg, which have all successfully banned pesticide use in villages, towns and cities.

Pesticide use in urban areas only constitutes approximately 10% of the UK’s total usage, but it is the second most common route through which people are exposed to pesticides (after diet). 

We are in the midst of a nature crisis. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Due in large part to habitat loss in the countryside, and the large quantities of pesticides used in UK agriculture, our wildlife is struggling. Urban spaces have the potential to  act as a refuge for a wide range of species including birds, insects, bees and hedgehogs. But the overuse of pesticides by councils is destroying many of the areas where these animals forage for food, and contaminating the natural resources they depend upon. In addition, pesticides will often run off hard surfaces such as pavements and paths, contaminating water courses and harming aquatic wildlife in the process.

Our health is impacted by exposure to pesticides. In March 2015, the UN World Health Organisation declared glyphosate to be a ‘probable carcinogen’ for humans, meaning that repeated or long-term exposure to the chemical is linked to cancer. The herbicide 2,4-D is also a probable carcinogen and suspected endocrine disruptor, and MCPA is acutely toxic and a possible carcinogen. These are the three most widely used pesticides by councils in public spaces. Glyphosate is also increasingly being linked to Parkinson’s. 

‘Pesticide’ is an umbrella term for any substance which is designed to control a pest or disease. Types of pesticides include herbicides (designed to kill plants), insecticides (insects), fungicides (fungi), rodenticides (rodents) and molluscicides (molluscs). The term also includes synthetic plant growth regulators (which modify plant development so they can grow out of season), defoliants (that accelerate leaf fall) and desiccants (which dry leaves out so they can be harvested).

While phasing-out pesticides in agriculture can be a complicated process, making our urban spaces pesticide-free is one of the easiest ways to reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals. There are many effective non-chemical alternatives to manage plant growth in urban spaces which enable both people and wildlife to thrive. Ending urban pesticide use would have no impact on food security and could be a major boost to biodiversity in the UK, which is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

Pesticides (usually herbicides) are used by councils and other land managers (such as universities and schools) to clear roads, pavements, playgrounds and other urban spaces of unwanted plant growth. 

While some of the pesticides used in urban spaces are targeted at protecting infrastructure or ensuring that pavements remain accessible to residents, the vast majority are used solely for cosmetic reasons. We are risking the health of humans and wildlife just to keep places looking ‘neat and tidy’.

Unless a council has made a commitment not to use pesticides, they could be using pesticides in the following places:

• Roads and highways

• Pavements (including along walls, in gutters, between paving slabs)

• Tree pits

• Parks and public gardens

• Playgrounds

• Car parks

• Road verges

• Land around hospitals and care homes

• Grounds of nurseries, schools, colleges and universities

• Housing estates

• Land around shopping centres

• Around train tracks and train stations

• Sports pitches, playing fields, and bowling greens

• Quays along rivers, canals or the sea

• Beaches

Councils need the time to assess their local needs and create an adapted weed-management plan, setting out a road map for how they plan to move away from pesticides. Non-chemical alternatives tend to work differently to pesticides so there is no one ‘silver bullet’ to replace glyphosate or other similar herbicides. We recommend that over the course of a three-year phase-out period councils trial a range of different non-chemical alternatives, monitoring the process carefully to see what works. Ultimately, councils can then adopt a suite of targeted measures adapted to the needs of their particular areas. 

It is also vital that councils spend the phase-out period communicating the benefits of going pesticide-free to ensure that residents are brought with them on the journey. Local groups representing those who struggle with mobility should be consulted regularly along the way to ensure that the phase-out plan works for everyone. 

There are many effective and sustainable alternatives to herbicides available for managing weeds in the urban setting. There is no single approach that will accommodate the needs of every council so a range of solutions have been adopted by councils across the UK. 

In addition to replacing pesticides with non-chemical alternatives such as hot water, foam and brushing, many pesticide-free councils are also taking preventative measures (such as removing soil from streets in February before the growth season starts) which reduce habitats for weeds to establish in the first place. Other pesticide-free councils are allowing areas to become wilder, while communicating with local residents to accept more ‘weediness’ and using community groups and volunteers to clear areas that have to be maintained for accessibility or infrastructure reasons. Usually it is a combination of techniques that provides the greatest level of success.

Many councils have commitments to protecting and improving biodiversity in their local areas, but most of them continue to use pesticides. Pesticides are toxic chemicals designed to kill living things, and yet they are the only chemicals deliberately released into the environment. They have been linked to a wide range of negative environmental impacts since the 1960s when Rachel Carson warned the world about an impending ‘Silent Spring’ in which the sounds of nature had been extinguished by pesticides.

Pesticides do not only affect the environment but can also damage human health. 

In the urban setting, we are exposed to pesticides when spending time in spaces that have recently been treated such as parks, or even on our doorsteps once our streets have been sprayed. There is no obligation for councils to tell residents when an area is about to be (or has just been) treated so it is impossible to avoid exposure. 

Children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of pesticides for a range of reasons, including that their ability to cope with poisoning tends to be less than that of adults. They are also more likely to spend time in public spaces that have been treated, such as parks and playgrounds. 

Pesticide applied to hard surfaces such as pavements tend to run off into water courses, posing a risk to drinking water quality, particularly in towns or cities that sit atop aquifers.  

There is also a major concern regarding the health of council and contractor staff responsible for spraying chemicals in urban spaces. This has led the trade union, GMB, to repeatedly call for glyphosate to be banned in the UK in order to protect the health of its members. 

In March 2015, the UN World Health Organisation declared glyphosate (the pesticide most widely used in UK towns and cities) to be a ‘probable carcinogen’ for humans, meaning that repeated or long-term exposure is linked to cancer. The herbicide 2,4-D is also a probable carcinogen and suspected endocrine disruptor, and MCPA is acutely toxic and a possible carcinogen. These are the three most widely used pesticides by local authorities in public spaces. 

While much of the health debate around glyphosate has focused on whether it causes cancer, independent scientists from around the world largely agree that long-term exposure to the chemical is harmful to human health in a range of ways. It is increasingly being linked to Parkinson’s and can cause conditions such as kidney and liver disease, act as an endocrine and immune system disruptor, and result in reproductive and neurological problems. A recent study found links between glyphosate exposure and reduced sperm count.

Land managers – including local councils – are not required to provide any warning, either before or after pesticide application has taken place. It is therefore impossible for pet owners to avoid treated areas and our pets may inadvertently eat, walk, play or lay down on grass or ground that has recently been sprayed with pesticides. 

Symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning (single incident exposure) in cats and dogs can include vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, irritation to the skin or eyes, chemical burns, breathing problems, lethargy, disorientation, seizures and even death. While instances of acute pet poisoning are sometimes studied and recorded, there is almost no research on the long-term, chronic effects on pets’ health of regular, ongoing direct exposure to pesticides.

Fifty councils in the UK are already pesticide-free, with another fifty well on their way having already made significant reductions in the amounts of chemicals they are using. These success stories available showcasing councils that have gone pesticide free.