Green space maintenance

Weeding and herbicides

Since 2019 the council has been reducing its use of herbicide, specifically Glyphosate, which is used to manage weed growth across the borough. This follows growing concerns about the health impact which long term exposure to Glyphosate can have, and its impact on biodiversity.

Parks, green spaces and housing land

The council has stopped using chemical weed control on hard-standing areas in parks and playgrounds. Instead, its contractor, Glendale, uses manual weeding, electric tools, mulch and hoeing to remove and suppress weeds.

These techniques are also used in shrub beds and on hard surfaces on Kingston’s housing land, which is also managed by Glendale.

On the public highway

Between 2020 and 2021, we reduced herbicide use on pavements from three to two sprays a year. We also undertook small trials of alternative weed removal methods, including hot foaming and weeding by hand to see what the impact on weed growth would be.

In 2022 a further one year trial began, which saw herbicide use on streets reduced from two sprays to one spray a year. We also asked for your views about weed growth in your area and the results can be found on Kingston lets Talk. 

For 2023 and 2024, it has been agreed that the one spray a year approach will continue. The spray for 2024  commenced on Monday 24 June and will last for about 4 weeks.

We would kindly request that residents wait for the weed spray to take effect around 3 weeks after treatment. If it is felt that a location needs urgent attention, a report should be submitted online and we will arrange for the road to be inspected.  

Why we have to remove weeds from public highways

The Council has an obligation to keep the public highway clean and tidy.

Weeds can trap litter and other dirt making the areas look unsightly, It can also affect the safety of our roads by causing trip hazards, uneven or broken slabs and obscure traffic signs where left untreated. Weeds around kerbs and in drains can affect the way water is drained from the streets and may cause flooding in extreme cases. 

We will not exempt any road from the weed spray due to these reasons. 

Our main focus is weed control rather than weed eradication

Removing weeds by non chemical ways

The Council carried out trials in 2021 including non treatment, manual removal and hot foam treatment. All three options were not as effective and the hot foam treatment was expensive and disruptive. For more information on these alternatives see the paper presented to Committee on 7 February 2023

We are continuing to review alternative weed removal methods including greener and more carbon efficient equipment.

Weeds on Transport for London (TfL) roads

TfL arranges for the spraying and treatment of the weeds on their network. 

Visit the Royal Horticultural Society's website for a range of information about managing weeds at home without using chemicals.

Leaves on the street

During the autumn we have additional crews out, working to clear areas that have high levels of leaf fall.

We aim to keep the roads and pavements clear of slippery wet leaves. We have a leafing programme that covers roads with known high leaf fall as well as responding quickly to reports of other areas that require attention. Where we receive report of hazardous leaves we will visit to assess and arrange clearing as necessary. We do not cover clearance of leaves from private land.

You can help by:

• reporting areas that may require special leaf clearance so that we can arrange an inspection
• not sweeping leaves onto the public highway from your property
• collecting leaves from your property and either:
  • put them into your garden waste bin (subscription required)
  • take them to the Household Reuse and Recycling Centre on Villiers Road
  • use them for home composting or leaf mulch

Report a street cleaning issue

Grass cutting

We are responsible for grass cutting:

• parks and open spaces
• roadside grass verges, roundabouts and central reservations.
• council housing land

For further information on grass-cutting services in the borough and to find out when the grass will be next cut in your area, please visit the Glendale website.

Grounds Maintenance Service - Kingston Council Housing Estates

Glendale provides a grounds maintenance service to Kingston housing estates. This includes tasks such as leaf clearance from grass areas, shrub maintenance and grass cutting. The service varies by season throughout the year.

For further information on the services provided on your estate and to find out when works are scheduled in your estate area please visit the Glendale website