Request for Integrated Weed Management on All Southwark Lands

Glyphosate is a known probable human carcinogen, as well as highly detrimental to soil and insect biology. Yet in 2021 Southwark used more than 1000 litres of glyphosate-based weedkiller, on our public pavements, playgrounds, and housing estates throughout the borough– an outdated and counterproductive management practice, in a time of crisis for biodiversity. 

We are asking Southwark to combine an increased tolerance for wild plants with mechanical and other non-chemical weed removal strategies, and to restrict the use of all chemical weedkillers, including glyphosate, except as a highly controlled, last-resort measure.

This is known as “integrated weed management,“ and it has already been Southwark’s practice for managing its parks since 1995. It is long past time that this policy was extended to all its lands throughout the borough, including housing, highways, and other properties. 

As integrated weed management is nothing new, many boroughs have already made the switch. Back in 2020, nearly all of the London Boroughs were rated for their use of weedkillers – and Southwark scored poorly with 2/5.

Hammersmith and Fulham scored 5/5. Their current weedkiller policy states that “all glyphosate weed killers are banned for use in Hammersmith & Fulham on council maintained land, with exceptions for use on Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed.”

And our directly neighbouring borough, Lambeth, ended the use of glyphosate-based weedkillers on all estates in 2020, and in streets in 2021.

This guide from Pan Action Network UK provides information on how councils can go pesticide free-

and this report from The Wildlife Trusts shows how insect populations in urban areas can be helped by eliminating the routine and unnecessary use of pesticides. (see "Insects in our Towns and Cities, p18) 

The climate and biodiversity crises demand new ways of working on all our public lands. We ask that our local council move swiftly and decisively to protect human and ecosystem health by restricting the use of chemical weed killers in the whole of Southwark.