MERRA is encouraging all residents to join our blitz on pest weeds. Over the coming weeks, we will be targeting the removal and disposal of a range of invasive pest weeds from private and public property – walkways or paper roads. To help with this, MERRA has arranged the following initiatives:
- Advice on how to identify target species, and how to remove them
- A 9m3 skip available over Easter for disposal of weeds you have removed
- A “weed walk” to identify and remove weeds on public property
Target species
Pest weeds are those considered to be invasive and a threat to our environment if not controlled. For the current blitz, we are targeting Wild Ginger, Woolly Nightshade (tobacco plant) and Agapanthus (flower stems only please). You should also be on the lookout for monkey apple, cotoneaster, Chinese privet, tradescantia, moth plant, gorse, jasmine, and bush lawyer.
For information on what these species look like, and how best to dispose of them, check out the plant pest information on the MERRA website (link here), or the Auckland Council site here. We are planning to have information available on what these look like and how to deal to them at the MERRA picnic at Scott House on Sunday 10 March.
Easter Skip
A big thanks to Northland Waste* who have kindly agreed to supply a 9m3 skip free of charge to support our plant pest blitz. The skip will be placed on the gravel patch leading to the stock yard at Rosedale (9 Charles Street) over the Easter long weekend (from Thursday 28 March until Tuesday 2 April). Residents are welcome to dispose of your pest weeds into the skip over the weekend.
For this initiative to succeed, it’s really important that we only use the skip to dispose of pest weeds. Please do not dispose of any plastic bags (your weeds need to be emptied out), household rubbish, construction rubbish, garden rubbish especially flax, cabbage tree fronds, grass clippings, prunings and weeds (excluding pest weeds). In short, if you see it on the Auckland City Council Weed Pests page or on the Scottslanding.org website you can put it in the bin. NOTHING ELSE, no exceptions.
Please also respect the area surrounding the bin and keep it tidy.
Failure to observe these rules will result in this being a once only offer.
Should you want to make a head start (e.g. removing agapanthus flower heads now while they are flowering), fill up plastic bags ready for when the bin is available. If you’re unsure how to dispose correctly give Chris Russell a call on 027 4933881.
Weed walk
To start collecting these we are inviting you to a weed walk – our first focus area is Williams Street on Tuesday 12 March. We will be meeting at the top of Williams Street between 8.00-8.30am. Wear sturdy footwear, gardening gloves a hat and sunscreen (and clothes) bring the tools you use to get rid of plant pests (secateurs, loppers, small spade etc) and something to put pest weeds in. There will be a supply of bags and paste pesticide. The weeds will be transferred to the bin when it arrives.
Please let us know if you are planning to attend, so that we can contact you should we need to change plans or have forgotten to tell you something – email merra.events@gmail.com or simply reply to your newsletter email that you’d like to join in.
* Northland Waste owns and operates Warkworth Re:Sort, which provides Warkworth and surrounding communities with a drop-off recycling facility, waste disposal and a second-hand goods store. Located at 183 Sandspit Road, open 7 days.