Tidy towns groups throughout Leitrim will have to start using a mixture of vinegar, salt and washing up liquid if they want to save money on weedkiller.
It’s after Leitrim County Council banned the use of glyphosate in public areas.
Glyphosate is used in the weedkiller RoundUp.
A meeting of the Manorhamilton Municipal District of Leitrim County Council this week heard some tidy towns groups are now facing costs of €1,500 a year for weedkiller because of the glyphosate ban compared to about €200 in previous years.
However, councillors pointed out that tidy towns groups were made up of volunteers who could not afford such high expense.
Fianna Fail Councillor Justin Warnock told the meeting how in some areas, residents had objected to tidy towns workers using glyphosate or RoundUp in their areas:
