100 signatures reached
To: The City of Edinburgh Council
Pesticide-Free Currie, Juniper Green & Baberton
End the use of pesticides to treat weeds in Currie, Juniper Green and Baberton and instead use safe alternatives like hot foam and manual weeding .
Why is this important?
The City of Edinburgh Council use Glyphosate for weed control on our streets, pavements, parks, playgrounds, around schools, cemeteries and green spaces.
Glyphosate is under worldwide investigation for its multiple harmful effects on human and animal health including Cancer. It is linked to many health concerns such as asthma, immune issues, Parkinsons, respiratory problems, burning sensations - inflammation, diarrhoea, skin issues, allergies and intolerances.
Children are more at risk than adults due to their age and also their behaviour, for example, investigating nature, crawling and playing on grass. Dogs and cats are particularly vulnerable too due to their close proximity to the ground.
There are also numerous environmental concerns - pollution of the air we breathe, degradation of the soil and contamination of our delicate waterways.
Pesticides have also been shown to have a damaging effect on wildlife, birds and bee populations and other pollinators which are currently in steep decline and need all the help they can get.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation said Glyphosate was a probable carcinogen.
Billions of dollars have now been set aside for hundreds of thousands of litigation cases arising from claimants against this chemical.
‘Round Up', of which the main ingredient is Glyphosate, has recently been pulled from the shelves of B & Q and Dobbies.
Many countries have banned this chemical and communities are asking for no further Glyphosate to be applied where they live, work and play and for safe alternatives to be used instead.
Towns and cities across the world have made the decision to go pesticide-free, using methods such as hot-foam, flame weeding, scraping, acetic acid solution and accepting a higher level of weediness and wildflowers.
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have been using the Foamstream system from ‘Weedingtech' since 2016! Foamstream uses a blend of plant oils and hot water to kill weeds, is safe to use around humans and animals and is non-harmful to the environment.
Dalkeith previously had a moratorium against Glyphosate being used in their community after councillors raised concerns about bee deaths and dog illness.
In 2019/2020 Balerno residents raised community concerns about exposure to this chemical and launched a community petition, proposing to The City of Edinburgh Council a trial of Foamstream supported by a community volunteer weeding group.
Edinburgh Council are now discussing a trial of Foamstream for 2021 and have agreed that no further Glyphosate is to be applied in Balerno for 2020, protecting the health of the community.
We ask now for The City of Edinburgh Council to apply the precautionary principle to Currie, Juniper Green and Barberton and protect the health of these communities.
We therefore call on The City of Edinburgh Council to put an end to all pesticide use for weed removal in all of Currie, Juniper Green and Barberton and use safe alternatives instead, protecting health and the health of our environment for now and for future generations.
Please also sign the petition to stop pesticide use across the whole of Edinburgh:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pesticide-free-edinburgh
https://www.pan-uk.org/campaign-success-for-pesticide-free-balerno/
https://www.weedingtech.com/case_studies/glastonbury-town-council/
https://www.hortweek.com/dobbies-garden-centres-drop-glyphosate/retail/article/1663176
https://www.hortweek.com/b-q-drops-glyphosate-based-weedkiller-roundup/retail/article/1683580
