The Douglas Shire Council is leading the way in steam-weeding technology and after the first month of a six-month trial, they are already seeing positive results.

“The aim of the trial is to reduce the exposure of children in particular to herbicides and the amount of chemicals that enter our waterways as run-off,” said Mayor Julia Leu.

“We are the only local government in the world who act as custodians of two World Heritage-listed natural environments in the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef and we are constantly looking at how we can minimise our usage of herbicides and pesticides."

The steam-weeding technology is specially designed to create super-heated water and wet steam which destroy weeds on contact, with the targeted weeds decomposing as soil humus.

Council will conduct a full assessment of how successful the steam-weeding trial has been later this year, including a cost analysis.

“I’m very proud of the fact we’re leading the way in embracing new technologies that benefit our health and environment and look forward to seeing the full results of the trial later this year,” Mayor Leu said.