Holistic weed control practice for urban storm water catchments. Global trends, methods, limitations and cost benefits.

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1 Holistic weed control practice for urban storm water catchments. Global trends, methods, limitations and cost benefits Jeremy Winer

2 Why weed Conventional methods in Australia Why not glyphosate? 7 hidden costs of chemical weed control Thermal & mechanical alternatives Europeans take the lead Considerations 7 Principles for holistic weed management

3 Weeds damage public assets Contribute to trip and slip hazards Self perpetuate Impede storm water runoff Contribute to sedimentation Reduce bio diversity Impede traffic vision Create an image of city in decline

4 Conventional Australian practice Spray by stealth No PPE & spraying in immediate proximity to food outlets Correct PPE rarely used because it alarms the community Excessive overspray to reduce contractors grass cutting costs

5 Globally the most used chemical tonnes of glyphosate products were used in 2011 With GM glyphosate resistant crops, usage is expected to increase 800% by (Friends of the Earth Europe 2013)

6 Annual glyphosate load Urban catchment contributes 95 x more glyphosate than agriculture. Maximum concentrations detected just after rainfall events reflecting urban runoff.

7 Glyphosate is removed easily from asphalt and concrete glyphosate losses were about 35% of the applied chemical 80% of loss occurs in the first few mm of rainfall (Ramwell, 2006)

8 glyphosate toxicology effects mammalian gut flora, those trillions of living bacteria that extract energy from your food contributing to your health and vitality. (Samsel & Seneff, 2013)

9 Glyphosate, contrary to being essentially nontoxic, may in fact be the most biologically disruptive chemical in our environment. Glyphosate could plausibly contribute to inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, depression, ADHD, autism, Alzheimer s disease, Parkinson s disease, MS, cancer, infertility and developmental malformations. * *Entropy 2013, 15, 1-x manuscripts; doi: / e140x000x Glyphosate s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Micro biome: Pathways to Modern Diseases

10 1. Off target damage & litigation 2. Tarnished public image 3. Herbicide resistance 4. Public safety 5. Employee OH&S 6. Storm and potable water contamination 7. Habitat, ecosystem and livestock threat

11 Manual Mechanical Chemical Thermal

12 Labour input speed of application Frequency of intervention Input costs fuel, water, chemical Capital costs

13 Method Pros Cons Herbicides Quick Low cost Harmful to applicators Danger to community Harmful to environment Weeds becoming resistant High hidden costs Organic approved desiccants Weed brush Whipper snipper, Quick Good for small areas Non chemical, Can be combined with other cleansing actions Immediate knockdown Can be caustic Expensive Variable efficacy Can affect soil ph and soil organisms Weather and season dependant Limited application and access Deteriorates public assets Noisy Hazardous Requires high application frequency Requires clean up

14 Flame Infrared Radiation Hot Air Dry thermal Steam Thermal Weed Control Saturated steam & Boiling water Hydro thermal Hot water Hot Water + insulating foam

15 Hot Air Weed Dragon by Flame Engineering Inc. Flame Open flame Radiant heat

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17 Hot water & insulating foam Steam Hydrothermal Weed Control Saturated steam & hot water Hot water 17

18 Weeds can be killed quickly with high temp 100C for 0.1 sec = thermal shock or slowly with lower temps, 58-98C = lethal heat. The sudden increase in temperature of thermal shock causes more cell damage increasing efficacy.

19 Hot water weed control Netherlands Hot water and foam, UK.

20 Central Median Bondi Beach Car Park

21 Instant cell destruction Pattersons curse - 2 weeks

22 Immediately after treatment 2 days after

23 Before treatment Treated area after 4 weeks

24 During treatment 1 day after

25 Tree roots not affected Weeds eradicated

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28 Netherlands & Belgium has banned the use of herbicides by municipalities from 2015 Glyphosate banned from amenity horticulture across Canada Pesticides banned from all schools in NY state Some municipalities in Switzerland, France, Germany, UK and Scandinavia have banned herbicides in sensitive catchments and or public areas.

29 Least toxic Carbon emission Whole of Life cycle analysis (WOL) Water consumption (WOL) Health & Safety Environmental protection Ecological impacts Cost Summarised in Urban Weed Management Methodologies Matrix

30 1. Design weeds out 2. Design and plan for prescribed presentation standards 3. Identify no spray catchment zones 4. Identify no spray socially and environmentally sensitive areas 5. Adopt a variety of modes of action 6. Keep records to manage methodology 7. Sustainable management costs more - budget for it!

31 FREE DOWNLOAD PACKAGE 1. Full paper PDF 2. Presentation PDF 3. Full Methodologies Matrix 4. Pilot program details and enquiry form