Colchester City Council

What is glyphosate and what is it used for?

Glyphosate is a chemical used to control weed growth in shrub borders and for spraying along fence lines and around signposts and tree bases.

Why is weed control necessary?

Weed growth in certain areas needs controlling to maintain sightlines, access and prevent damage to car parks and footpaths.

How does glyphosate kill plants?

The chemical is a contact spray. What the spray touches on a plant these areas will die off. The plants absorb the chemical through their cells and which it in turns kills it. The chemical does not linger in the soil.

How soon after application of glyphosate can people or pets use the area?

Glyphosate is safe for pets and children to walk on as soon as it's dried completely.

Why does the council use glyphosate instead of other herbicides?

This chemical is used across the industry and is one of the most cost effective on the market. Using the chemical stops the number of repeat manual operations, which saves time and money.

I have read that glyphosate is harmful to human health, is it safe for the council to use it?

Glyphosate has been subject to hundreds of clinical trials that have concluded that glyphosate is indeed safe when used under label recommendations.

How do you control weeds without using glyphosate?

We can either strim the grass vegetation, remove by hand or look at other chemicals which are more eco-friendly.

What has the council done to reduce the use of glyphosate?

The council has been looking at alternative methods to control weeds and the different management methods to control vegetation.

When will the council have phase out the use of glyphosate?

The Council will by the end of March 2021 have a 95% reduction in its use. We will still need to use it for the treatment of some invasive species (Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed)

Why can’t the council stop the use of glyphosate immediately?

We need to look at other working practices and other forms of land management that will replace the use of the glyphosate. For we need to look at the costs and see how we mitigate them.

Will the council ever use glyphosate in the future?

The Council continually looks at working practices to see the best of way of working and taking into account the environment.

Why are you proposing to reduce grass cutting of grass verges?

To improve wildlife habitats and biodiversity in Colchester, Wildflowers will provide a colourful display during summer.

Will all grass verges on be cut once or twice per year?

No, a number of sites have been identified to trial wildflower verges by reducing the grass cutting regime. Not all grass verges are suitable to be managed for wildflowers, each location will be evaluated for its potential value.

If the grass is left to grow long it will look untidy and collect litter

This will be monitored, the council has a number of initiatives to help prevent the dropping of litter. Litter will be removed before the verges are cut.

The grass verges are very small outside my house, leaving them to grow long will look untidy and obstruct the footpath when they start to die back and fall over.

Most small and narrow grass verges will continue to be cut on a regular basis, for example, every 3weeks.

When will the grass be cut?

The verges managed for wildflowers will be cut late summer

Will road safety be compromised by managing verges for wildflowers?

No, certain verges must be cut regularly to maintain clear lines of visibility like junctions where a ‘visibility splay’ has to be maintained or the first metre of grass from the edge of the carriageway.

Will wildflower seeds be sown on the verges?

In most areas wildflower seed will not be sown. mixtures of annual, often non-native, flowers for pollinators can be expensive and labour intensive to maintain, simply cutting less and later will give native plants the opportunity to flower and set seed. Some verges may be devoid of wildflower species, these areas will be monitored and evaluated to identify if it’s worth restoring the habitat with locally sourced wildflower seed or green hay.