Use of pesticides by council

The request was successful.

Juliet Ferguson

Dear Information Officer,

This is a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. I would like to request the following information:

Do you manage your open spaces yourself or are they are outsourced?

If they are outsourced, what is the name of the company/companies that manage them?

What is your policy for weed control in the open spaces - parks, sports fields, grass verges etc?
Do you use herbicides containing glyphosate eg Roundup, Weedol etc
If yes, what do you use
What areas have been sprayed with herbicides containing glyphosate?
What is your policy on the use of glyphosate?
What precautions were taken ahead of its use?

For the calendar years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, please can you tell me:

The volume of these herbicides you have you used
The cost

I would like to receive the information electronically - preferably in an Excel format. If you feel that a substantive response to this request is not possible within a reasonable time frame, or the request is too broad or too vague, I would be grateful if you could contact me and provide assistance as to how I could refine the request.

Many thanks.

Juliet Ferguson

foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Ms Ferguson

 

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-65941

 

Thank you for your request dated 01 July 2022.

 

Your request will be answered by 29 July 2022. 

 

If you have any queries about this request, please contact me, quoting the
reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [1]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

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foi, Greenwich Borough Council

Dear Ms Ferguson

 

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-65941

 

Thank you for your request dated 01 July 2022.

 

Apologies for our delayed response, as follows:

 

Do you manage your open spaces yourself or are they are outsourced?

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: Open spaces on Housing land
are managed in-house by Royal Greenwich Caretaking Service.

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Managed in house

 

If they are outsourced, what is the name of the company/companies that
manage them?

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: Not applicable.

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Managed in house

 

What is your policy for weed control in the open spaces - parks, sports
fields, grass verges etc?

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: The Caretaking Service only
sprays hard surface areas.

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Integrated Weed Control including manual
removal and pesticide application. The most targeted pesticide application
method is used where possible for e.g. stem injection and eco plugs.
Ecoplugs are applied to cut stumps Over 25mm in diameter where it is
necessary to control regrowth and where alternative methods such as stump
grinding are impracticable.

 

They are rarely (if ever) applied to trees on public highways or in parks
(where regenerative growth is not an issue). They are most commonly
applied where re-growth presents a risk of damage to property, trees
growing close to concrete / built structures, etc.

 

Do you use herbicides containing glyphosate eg Roundup, Weedol etc

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: Yes

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Yes

 

If yes, what do you use What areas have been sprayed with herbicides
containing glyphosate?

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: Caretaking Services use
Dual No mix.

 

The areas sprayed are the hard surface areas on Housing owned land

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Hard surfaces in parks and open spaces and
outdoor bowling greens.

 

 

What is your policy on the use of glyphosate?

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: In line with RBG Health and
Safety procedure only certified caretakers are allowed to carry out weed
spraying.

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Integrated weed control policy - Pesticides
are only used by trained staff and in strict accordance with manufactures
instructions. . No pesticides are used in Sites of Special Scientific
Interest or (SSSI) or Sites of Importunate for Nature Conservation (SINC).

 

What precautions were taken ahead of its use?

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: In line with RBG Health and
Safety procedure only certified caretakers are allowed to carry out weed
spraying

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Integrated weed control policy - Pesticides
are only used by trained staff and in strict accordance with manufactures
instructions. No pesticides are used in Sites of Special Scientific
Interest or (SSSI) or Sites of Importunate for Nature Conservation (SINC).

 

For the calendar years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, please can you
tell me:

 

The volume of these herbicides you have you used The cost

 

Directorate of Housing and Safer Communities: The Caretaking Service has
not finished the weed spraying for this year so we do not have any figures
for this year however the following approximate amounts have been used.

 

2018 – 440Ltrs

2019 – 440Ltrs

2020 – 220Ltrs

2021 – 330Ltrs

 

The costs are:

 

2018/19 £1,627.56.

2019 £6,645.87

2020 £3,210.24

2021 £6,554.24

2022 £7,834.75

 

Parks, Estates & Open Spaces: Information provided in attached spreadsheet
- FOI-65941 GM Pesticide use

 

 

If you have any queries about this correspondence, please contact me,
quoting the reference number above.

 

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request, you can ask
for an Internal Review.  Internal review requests must be submitted within
two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
request.  If you wish to do this, please contact us in writing, setting
out why you are dissatisfied.

 

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Internal Review, you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. 
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
Internal Review procedure provided by the Council. You can contact the ICO
by emailing [1][email address], or by post at Customer Contact,
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [2]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

From: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Sent: 04 July 2022 08:29
To: 'Juliet Ferguson' <[FOI #875062 email]>
Cc: foi <[Greenwich Borough Council request email]>
Subject: FOI-65941: Freedom of Information request - Use of pesticides by
council

 

Dear Ms Ferguson

 

Freedom of Information request:  FOI-65941

 

Thank you for your request dated 01 July 2022.

 

Your request will be answered by 29 July 2022. 

 

If you have any queries about this request, please contact me, quoting the
reference number above.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

David White

Head of Information, Safety and Community Services

Directorate of Communities, Environment and Central

Royal Borough of Greenwich

 

*   3^rd Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18
6HQ

8 [3]www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

 

ü Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

 

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