What is your council spraying on your verge?
Some time ago, I had a thought that perhaps for people who didn't have enough space to grow fruit and veg in their back yards, the verge might be a good idea? I had visions of neighbourhoods sharing their veg, having street parties with goodies made from the fruits of their labour, cook offs and bottling jam. To me it seemed like a wonderful 'fix' to many of the modern problems we face; poor eating habits, poor quality fruit and veg, and poor community contact for many of us, who sink into the isolation of our homes, and end up watching a 'cooking show' on the tele while eating, well in the words of comedian Dylan Moran 'a bag of bread and anything you can spread on it'.
What I wasn't thinking of, during this epiphany of sorts, was what our councils spray in and around our front yards, in the aim of 'weed control'. So I was horrified when one of our readers pointed our a fairly major problem with my plan in an email to us (see below).
" I can advise of one major problem with this idea and that is Councils and their chemical overkill for weed control ! Most people are totally unaware of the spraying that goes on right outside our own homes by Council. All roadside kerbs, footpaths, median strips, etc. are routinely sprayed for weed control several times per year. That would be a lovely toxic chemical bath for the "organic" vegetable verge."
In a later email, the same CleanLife reader let us know that:
"3,300 residents of the City of Stirling have recently lodged a petition with their council opposing the use of herbicide spraying on all footpaths, roadside kerbing, median strips, drainage sumps and children's playgrounds and are currently lobbying for the immediate introduction of hydrothermal (hot water weeding) methods for weed control of those areas, as currently practiced in the City of Fremantle."
So my question is? What is your council doing? We would love to know and I guess you probably would too? Please feel free to blog or email us with any updates you have.
I have contacted my council on three occasions now, each time told that someone will return my call. Nobody has at this stage, but I will keep you posted.
Have a green day
Gina
What I wasn't thinking of, during this epiphany of sorts, was what our councils spray in and around our front yards, in the aim of 'weed control'. So I was horrified when one of our readers pointed our a fairly major problem with my plan in an email to us (see below).
" I can advise of one major problem with this idea and that is Councils and their chemical overkill for weed control ! Most people are totally unaware of the spraying that goes on right outside our own homes by Council. All roadside kerbs, footpaths, median strips, etc. are routinely sprayed for weed control several times per year. That would be a lovely toxic chemical bath for the "organic" vegetable verge."
In a later email, the same CleanLife reader let us know that:
"3,300 residents of the City of Stirling have recently lodged a petition with their council opposing the use of herbicide spraying on all footpaths, roadside kerbing, median strips, drainage sumps and children's playgrounds and are currently lobbying for the immediate introduction of hydrothermal (hot water weeding) methods for weed control of those areas, as currently practiced in the City of Fremantle."
So my question is? What is your council doing? We would love to know and I guess you probably would too? Please feel free to blog or email us with any updates you have.
I have contacted my council on three occasions now, each time told that someone will return my call. Nobody has at this stage, but I will keep you posted.
Have a green day
Gina
posted by Gina Cacho | 8:40 PM
1 Comments:
Last year I was out the front of our property in Northam with my 10 week old baby when a vehicle came past (travelling too fast) spraying into the air and the entire pedestrian path with herbicide. We had requested for our verge to be excluded from spraying, so I lodged a complaint. They claimed to have no record of "such an agreement" and claimed their sprayer was only spraying the kerb line. I know what I saw but what can you do!
To the best of our knowledge this year they have respected our wishes after we put in another request.
Unsuspecting citizens walking on verges and footpaths are tracking these chemicals into their homes if they don't remove their shoes. Our kids are also playing in playgrounds which are sprayed, with no formal notification so we can choose to avoid these areas afterwards.
I do sometimes what the point is when over the past 6 weeks our Shire have sprayed (the rest of) our street twice, there have been 2 termite sprays done next door within 3 metres of unprotected people and all of our neighbours spray- one 3 times in 3 weeks!
I also wonder what sort of money our councils are spending on these chemicals? Do they have the right to put us at risk?
You can request for your verge to be on the no spray list- learn from us and make sure you keep a copy of your written request! Maybe if enough people object they will start to reconsider their approach?
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