BURNABY EYES HERBICIDE BAN
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BURNABY EYES HERBICIDE BAN
Date:
Fri, 1 Nov 2002
From:
Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide
Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
(Appeared Oct.
23, 2002 in "Newsleader") Front
Page
BURNABY EYES
HERBICIDE BAN by David Weir (Newsleader Staff)
The
City of Burnaby is looking to add itself to the growing list of Canadian
municipalities that ban the use of cosmetic herbicides on private property.
If that happens,
people who currently use chemicals to control weeds in their lawns and
gardens will have to find new ways to keep the unwanted growth at bay.
Monday, city
council supported in principle the idea of restricting the use of herbicides
within Burnaby.
"There have
been a number of studies that link pesticide use with human health problems,
as well as detrimental effects on the natural environment," said Coun.
Dan Johnston, who chairs the city's environmental committee.
Johnston was
careful to point out that the city is not talking about banning the use of
pesticides to control insects, fungicides that keep fungi in check or
rodentcides that target rodents. The
restriction will only apply to herbicides.
The city will
look for feedback on the issue to gauge public support for herbicide
reduction before it decides how extensive any restrictions would be.
Burnaby is also
planning an education program targeted towards homeowners, commercial users,
vendors, landscape and industrial herbicide users. The program aims to educate people on the effects of
herbicide uses, while providing alternatives.
There is also
talk of adding a new category to the city's annual environmental awards, one
recognizing herbicide-free landscaping.
The city has not
set a timeline for implementing the ban, nor has it determined the costs of
policing it. That will come as
the consultation process unfolds.
While the
proposal is sure to have some up in arms, there are those who welcome the
plan.
"It will be
an adjustment for people," said Rob Mills, nursery manager at Blooming
Deals garden centre. "If
you like that really perfect lawn, you're going to have to do a little bit
more work on it than you might normally have had to.
Either that, or get used to the fact that weeds aren't the worst thing
in the world".
Blooming Deals
does not stock herbicides. Instead,
it promotes non-chemical alternatives.
Topping the list
is manual weeding, and there are a number of different tools available.
"You don't even have to bend over with some of them,"
Mills said.
Weeds can be
pulled from the ground before they seed new weeds; bark mulch spread in a
flower bed helps prevent new weeds from germinating; and lining the garden
beds with landscaping feld will also keep weeds down.
Meanwhile, growing a crop of fall rye in a vegetable garden during the
winter will help control weeds by providing them with competition.
"You're
also forced to dig it under (in the spring), so it causes you to get out
there and do an early weeding when you don't realize that things are
flowering and setting seed already,"
Mills said.
As for lawns,
Mills recommends using less fertilizer while letting the grass grow longer
because it will help the grass compete better against the weeds.
And if that
sounds like too much work, Mills has one last piece of advice:
"Clover in a lawn is not the worst thing--it actually adds
nitrogen and helps feed your lawn."
email: newsroom@burnabynewsleader.com
Mayor Douglas P. Drummond
Bus: 604.294.7340
Fax: 604.294.7724
Councillor Dan Johnston
Tel: 604.540.6766
Fax: 604.540.6720
Environment and Waste Management
Clerk's Department - Sid Cleave 604.294.7290
Engineering Department - Lambert Chu 604.294.7460
Clerk
Bus: 604.294.7944
Email - clerks@city.burnaby.bc.ca
Burnaby City Hall
City of Burnaby
4949 Canada Way
Burnaby B.C.
V5G 1M2
http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca
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