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Environmental Sustainability

Pesticide Use Restrictions

Richmond's New Pesticide Use Control Bylaw Live Green Logo

Richmond's PDF Document Pesticide Use Control Bylaw No. 8514 , adopted by City Council on October 13, 2009 is now in full force and effect.
The Bylaw restricts non-essential, cosmetic pesticides use on outdoor vegetation on Residential Property and City-owned land. Pesticides include such products as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and combined fertilizer / herbicide “weed and feed” type products. The City provides information, workshops and a variety of resources to help residents learn more natural ways of maintaining healthy lawns and gardens.

Grass Banner1Getting to Know the Bylaw
Across Canada, municipal and provincial governments are taking action to reduce the use of conventional pesticides and their potential impacts on the environment and human health.  As part of the City’s Enhanced Pesticide Management Program, Richmond Council adopted the PDF Document Pesticide Use Control Bylaw No. 8514 in October 2009. The Bylaw regulates pesticides used for what is often called the "non-essential" or "cosmetic" control of pests in lawns and gardens on Residential properties and City-owned land.
 
Pesticides include products such as herbicides (for weeds), insecticides (for insects), fungicides (fungal diseases), and combined fertilizer/herbicide “weed and feed” type products. For information about the Bylaw can be found in these documents:

PDF Document Pesticide Use Control Bylaw No. 8514
PDF Document Greener by Nature Property (May 2010)
PDF Document Greener by Nature Property (May 2010) - Chinese
PDF Document Go Green...Naturally! Utility (February 2010)

Many safer alternatives to conventional pesticide are SprayBottle Imageavailable, effective and still permitted under the Bylaw. To recognize these products, compare the “active ingredient” on label of the product to the list of permitted pesticides PDF Document Schedule A: Excluded pesticides. The Bylaw also permits the use of biological pest controls, including nematodes, lady beetles and micro-organisms such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria and Sclerotinia minor fungi.

For more information on Pesticide Legislation in BC, refer to the following sites: