Active campaign · Cape Town
UnPoison is helping communities replace blanket roadside herbicide spraying with safer, non-chemical weed control—and helping residents win exemption from the municipal spray schedule.
Watch on YouTubeUnPoison Our CityUnPoison's film about pesticide use in cities. The video opens on YouTube in a new tab.
The approach
Manual weed removal avoids pesticide exposure, protects urban waterways and biodiversity, and directs public spending toward people and environmental stewardship.
Noordhoek became Cape Town's first suburb to secure roadside spray exemption in 2023. The campaign now helps more communities organise, document support and follow the City's exemption process.
Suburb status
The community-maintained map from the original campaign page distinguishes suburbs that are sprayed, those with an active champion, partially exempt areas and fully exempt areas.
Static preview captured 6 October 2026. Open the live interactive map for suburb details. UnPoison Community Network data is published in beta and may change; check the City’s current weed-spraying schedules for official programme information.
Campaign tools
Check the municipal schedule, understand the City's spraying rules and document non-compliance.
The City’s changing district schedules, listed herbicides, protocol and complaint route.
↗PDFA practical compliance guide for residents observing municipal spraying.
↗CITYDownload the City’s contravention form and follow its submission instructions.
↗USSend a first account so we can discuss how your report may support advocacy.
↗The original campaign also shared a City spraying information PDF. Use the City’s live page above for current schedules.
Work with your neighbours
Champions coordinate local support for exemption from the City’s spray schedule. The original campaign describes them liaising with residents, councillors, other champions and UnPoison; organising non-chemical alternatives; and watching for spraying that may not follow the City’s rules.
UnPoison says it can share tools, templates and a network of people who have already worked through the process. The Champs sign-up form lets you choose suburb work, a thematic focus or both.
Not ready to coordinate? Complete the suburb spraying poll to register your view, or support the work financially.
Campaign questions
The City lists different products for hard surfaces and for turf areas, with seasonal differences. Its weed-spraying page identifies the products, application details and current district schedules. Check that source rather than relying on an older product list.
Permitted use is subject to legal requirements and the City’s own operating protocol. UnPoison’s spraying-compliance guide explains what residents can observe. The City publishes its protocol and tender specifications. Whether a particular incident complied depends on its facts; this page is not legal advice.
The City asks residents to complete the weed-spraying contraventions complaint form linked from its spraying information page, then email it and any safe-to-collect evidence to contact.us@capetown.gov.za. You can also tell UnPoison; our current first-contact route is email while the previous reporting form is assessed.
Add your view to the suburb poll and share it locally. If you can help organise, join UnPoison Champs. The campaign also welcomes research, data, design, communications and fundraising help; contact the team to offer a skill.