Complaints about weeds in Edinburgh reach 10-year high
The number of complaints about weeds in Edinburgh have hit their highest level for more than a decade.
A freedom of information request submitted by Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs showed the city council received 636 requests to remove weeds in 2024.
The last time there were more than 500 requests was in 2016. That year, there were 565 complaints about weeds. Otherwise, the numbers over the past 10 years varied between 483 in 2015 and a Covid low of 88 in 2020.
The 2024 figure of 636 represented an increase of more than 200 per cent on the 2023 total, when there were only 200 requests for weeds to be removed.
Mr Briggs said the council had suggested that a combination of factors such as the mild, wet weather and the reduced use of glyphosate weedkillers may be behind the increase.
The council agreed in 2023 to a gradual, three-year phasing-out of herbicides containing glyphosate, which threatens bee colonies and has been linked to cases of cancer. Instead, it said it would use a combination of other methods to control weeds, including hot foam, pressurised hot water and mechanical sweeping.
Scott Arthur, the transport and environment convener at the time, said there was “growing pressure” to reduce glyphosate use from residents across the city who were concerned about its potential environmental and health impacts.
Some parts of Edinburgh are already glyphosate-free. Residents in Balerno campaigned against the use of chemical weedkillers and now there is community weeding organised by the Pesticide Free Balerno group and increased mechanical sweeping.
Mr Briggs said he had been disappointed to see more weeds in Edinburgh as he was out and about this summer. “My research has confirmed that this has indeed become a bigger problem over the last few years.”
And he continued: “As glyphosate is phased out of use, councillors must find new ways to keep weeds under control.
“With rising vandalism and anti-social behaviour in Edinburgh, it is vital that the council stays on top of this situation so that Edinburgh does not lose its reputation as a beautiful city to live in and visit.
“I am grateful to our Conservative councillors for securing additional funding for the excellent ‘Pride in our City’ project, which has been cleaning up our streets for the past year and will no doubt help mitigate against this increase in weeds.”
Current transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “We’ve significantly reduced our reliance on glyphosate-based herbicides, opting instead for more environmentally friendly weed control methods like deep street cleansing, mulching, strimming, and manual hoeing.
“However, the recent mix of sunshine and rain has created ideal growing conditions for greenery which means some areas may appear more overgrown than usual. If residents notice an area that needs attention, I’d encourage them to report it through the Council website so we can respond appropriately.”