FREE Invasive Weed Disposal – Community Weed Amnesty

  • News, Weed Events, Weeds

* Note; this service is available to Whangarei Heads Residents only*

Weed Action is trying to make it as easy as possible for you to take action against weeds. Following the success of our previous weed amnesty initiatives, here’s another to help motivate our community. After all, what better time is there than NOW to mobilise as a community to control the weeds that have been on our to-do lists for some time?!

For the month of April 2021, there will be a 9 cubic metre skip bin placed in the car park of the Parua Bay Community Centre. Here you will be able to dispose of the most invasive weeds species at the Heads for FREE. We will also be able to provide up to 6 skip exchanges so please bring weed waste in early to avoid missing out and keep an eye on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WeedActionWhangareiHeads for updates on progress.

Here are the kind of weeds you’re welcome to dispose of:

Accepted Weeds

* Any weeds from The Dirtiest Dozen list, plus:

The fruit and leaves of the invasive Monkey Apple tree.

If you have weeds that you’re unsure of then you can call Kelly Maxwell on 02102332005 to find out if you can dispose them during the period of the amnesty.

Banned List

  • NO tree branches > 150mm
  • NO palm fronds or stumps
  • NO flax or cabbage leaves
  • NO rocks, dirt
  • NO rubbish or other inorganic waste

Please remember that the objective of offering this free service is to fill every last square cm full of invasive weeds, this is so the community of the Heads collectively makes a push to reduce the weed burden. Many seeds are dispersed by wind and birds, which means carrying out weed control in your own back yard is massively important if we want to protect the wider landscape. This amnesty is not for garden plants or lawn clippings, it’s for the weeds that can invade and damage our native bush – weeds like moth plant, woolly nightshade, ivy, tradescantia, jasmine and blue morning glory and more. Please note that we are also not taking weeds removed from around kauri trees because of the risk of spreading kauri dieback disease.

Other Potential Pitfalls

  • If transporting weed seeds or weeds that can resprout from tubers, rhizomes or fragments (madeira vine, jasmine, blue morning glory, tradecantia etc), please do so in a cautious manner that contains the whole plant to avoid spreading weeds whilst in transit.
  • If transporting moth plant pods or other seeds that can be wind-blown, place them in a compostable bag, seal and place in the skip. The waste will be taken to a commercial composting facility that will decompose both the plant and the bag. Where possible push moth plant pods underneath other vegetation, DO NOT place opened pods on the top of the pile.
  • Please ensure you place your green waste in the skip entirely and pick up anything that falls on the ground. This skip is being hosted by the Parua Bay Community Centre free of charge so please show respect.
  • The skip will be checked by one of our staff or volunteers during the amnesty period, however please call us on 02102332005 if you see any fly-tipping or non-accepted materials.

Please help us to continue to provide this service by respecting the purpose of the bin, and only using it to dispose of invasive weeds and nothing on the banned list.

Don’t forget, when you are doing your weeding remove by the roots or use some herbicide to stop cut weeds growing back. Saves so much work in the long run! Free advice and herbicide available to help with this too! Get in touch to find out more info@weedaction.org.nz

Need some help? Get in touch

Would you like help with weed control techniques, equipment, and herbicides? Get some support with tackling weeds on your own property or community reserve. Thanks to support from the Northland Regional Council, we can provide all products and equipment for free. 

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