Safe weed control in our streets and parks

Tried, trusted… yet little known

Almost unnoticed, a delicate little remit was passed at the AGM of Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) last month, encouraging councils to ‘consider using environmentally friendly weed control methods’.

Almost as unnoticed it appears, is that a dozen borough councils in Auckland, including Ellerslie Borough Council, Devonport Borough Council and Waiheke Island County Council, did just that in the 80s and 90s. They implemented non-chemical weed and vegetation control policies that remain in place today. (Note that in the context of this article, ‘non-chemical’ and ‘chemical-free’ mean the use of safer methods of weed control – no harmful herbicides.)