A petition tabled at this week's council meeting called for the use of glyphosate based weed elimination substances to be halted.

While council resolved to continue to trial organic herbicides, it said the use of glyphosate would need to continue due to cost and effectiveness factors.

The shire started trialing a plant-derived weed control product last year, focusing on public areas and playground surrounds. 

But sustainable development director Jason Taylor said the cost was higher than glyphosate.

“Our parks and gardens team has reported that the herbicide alternative is less effective than glyphosate for weed control, but we will continue to trial various products in response to the community’s concerns about chemical use,” he said.

Mr Taylor said work practices had changed over the last few years to reduce the use of glyphosate while balancing council’s legislative land management responsibilities. 

“Glyphosate usage has also been limited and is used in accordance with national safety standards," he said.

"Whereas once we might have sprayed weeds along the roadside, we now use other methods like slashing, brush-cutting and mulching."

Steam was trialed for weed control in 2014 but was not considered to be economically viable. 

Mr Taylor said that he expects other cost effective alternatives to chemical weed control to become more widely available in coming years. 

Glyphosate comes in many forms, including an acid and several salts. 

It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. 

The sodium salt form of glyphosate can also be used to regulate plant growth and ripen fruit.