Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
Pesticide free Wadebridge, Cornwall
Just make the leap
Wadebridge Town Council stopped spraying weeds in March 2016 and their Parks team and contractors no longer use any kind of pesticide. Instead, in managing their four large grassed areas, including three parks and a cemetery and the roads and pavements around town, they use a self-drive brush weeder, gas flame, strimmer and hand weeding, which they find to be as effective as chemicals. They have left some areas to go wild and moved to annual rather than weekly strimming of some areas, reducing the need for maintenance and increasing the benefits for insects and birds. By talking to the public about the reasons behind it, Council staff have had no complaints.
• Stopped using herbicides, rodenticides or insecticides
• Low cost
• No public complaints and local people love the wildflowers
Wadebridge Town Council put in place a ‘pesticide free’ policy with the aim of promoting the value of a quality environment to the people of Wadebridge. Although there was initial investment in a self-drive brush weeder, over time this will even itself out as the sprays were purchased on a regular basis. We have not received any complaints from the public or local businesses and local people love the wildflowers.
