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Roadside Spraying
The Toxic Roadside
In an effort to maintain weeds, state and county governments apply herbicides to our roadsides on a regular basis. It's an unnecessary and dangerous practice. Mowing and weed-pulling are safer options.
Did You Know
- Many herbicides are toxic. In fact, some of the herbicides used by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) are known carcinogens, such as Diuron, Casoron and Crossbow.
- Children waiting for the school bus and people who walk, jog, or cycle the highway are especially at risk.
- Herbicides spread beyond where they're sprayed. They drift in the wind and wash downstream. Residues get tracked indoors by people and pests, where they remain for years.
What Oregon Toxics Alliance is doing
Due in a large part to OTA, our volunteers and partners, the Lane County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to continue the ban on roadside spraying on county roads indefinitely. We were also vital to ODOT's decision to use Lane County as a pilot project. ODOT will focus on non-toxic methods to maintain state roads within the County (and along a key stretch of Hwy 101). If the project proves successful, it could go statewide!
Oregon Toxics Alliance will continue to work with the County and State to ensure these programs get adequate funding and result in a big success.
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