‘We all need to find a way to reduce, and ideally eliminate, pesticide use’

More than 125 different pesticide products were handed in at the UK’s first pesticide amnesty in Bristol.

We wanted to try out a new idea: a free, drop-in session in a familiar neighbourhood location where any resident could bring household or garden pesticides and exchange them for wildflower seeds and a pack of information on pesticide-free gardening.

We planned events at Redcatch Park and Blaise Nursery. Two minutes after our welcome team was in place, we had our first ‘customer’, a Knowle resident with a bag of glass bottles that she had found in her allotment shed.

They dripped and leaked in her plastic bag as our team safely photographed them and the on-site chemist identified and stored them for disposal.

“I’m so glad you’re doing this,” she said, “I have had these pesticides in the shed forever and I had no idea what to do with them”.

Over the course of the weekend, many people stopped to chat, with many saying they don’t use pesticides but that they wanted ideas for the garden.

More than 125 different pesticide products were handed in at the UK’s first pesticide amnesty in Bristol – photo ©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com

So why did we do it?

In February 2020, Bristol declared an ecological emergency, and partners came together to write the One City Ecological Emergency Strategy. A key target is to reduce pesticide use by 50 per cent (at least!) by 2030.

This includes me and my family in our flat with a balcony that likes to sprout weeds up between the paving tiles. From major landowners to householders, together we all need to find a way to reduce, and ideally eliminate, pesticide use.

We have been running the Festival of Nature since 2003, developing our ‘Actions for Nature’ model, moving away from “pledges for action” and focusing on providing events to take action for nature while giving people tools and resources to continue doing the same at home.

An exciting challenge is working towards understanding our baseline and when we have achieved our target. The pesticide amnesty findings were logged for the University of Bristol’s chemistry department, where a student will design a new experiment to test pesticides in Bristol’s soil. We’re grateful to the University of Bristol and the Cabot Institute for the Environment for funding the project through the Temple Quarter Engagement Fund.

A key target for the city is to reduce pesticide use by 50 per cent (at least) by 2030 – photo ©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com

So what’s next?

We’re working closely with Nicola Beech, Labour’s cabinet member for climate and ecology, and the city’s environment board to develop ideas for working with businesses and more opportunities for inviting residents to find out more about pesticide alternatives.

We’re working up ideas for ‘Slugfest’ in 2022 after endless questions about slugs – and maybe alongside ideas to keep them away (top tip: water your plants in the morning instead of at night) – we can also showcase the beauty of these amazing creatures.

Together, we need to really understand what other ecological solutions are needed in Bristol, including working with landowners to create space for nature, a target to double the tree canopy in the city with the Replant Bristol programme, and a pilot project to improve the River Avon catchment.

Join us at www.ecologicalemergency.org.uk

Savita Willmott says we need to really understand what other ecological solutions are needed in Bristol – photo courtesy of Savita Willmott

Savita Willmott is the chief executive of The Bristol Natural History Consortium

All photos ©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com

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