Chemicals in pesticides and herbicides can be harmful to natural ecosystems as well as human health. That is why it is important to consider non-toxic alternatives to these products. However, how do you navigate having your lawn sprayed with chemicals against your own will?
In the r/gardening Reddit thread, a user was dealing with just that. They posted to ask for help after a company sprayed pesticides on their lawn without asking.
The user explained that the company used the products Barricade and Escalade, both herbicides, on their family's front lawn, and they needed help figuring out how to get the chemicals off the lawn as well as how to take action to avoid this happening again in the future.
🗣️ Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
🔘 Absolutely not 💯
🔘 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝
🔘 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️
🔘 We should ban HOAs 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
One user commented that this is an example of chemical trespass. According to the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, chemical trespassing is when humans and/or the natural environment are negatively impacted by chemical agents that were nonconsensually used. Other listed examples of this include chemicals deposited in communities from fracking or toxic waste disposal.
The chemicals in herbicides can have serious impacts on human health, such as rashes, headaches, and fatigue. Residents in a California community have spoken out about the health problems they have experienced from their neighborhood being sprayed with herbicides.
The goal of herbicides and pesticides is to kill weeds. Yet there are much safer and more sustainable ways to control your lawn and bugs. One way is to plant native species, which have evolved over time in specific areas and climates, making them more resilient and requiring less water and no fertilizer.
Other Reddit users were helpful in the comments with suggestions about what to do next.
"You need to document everything and then take a trip to r/treelaw to see about next steps to replace any dead plants," one user wrote."Contact your state's department of agriculture and see if you can file a formal complaint," another added.
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