MERRA is once again making it easy to dispose of your pest weeds. With support from Northland Waste and Chris and Helen Russell, a skip will be available to take your pest weeds this coming Easter Weekend, 2-6 April 2026.
Pest weeds are those considered to be invasive and a threat to our environment if not controlled. We are particularly targeting Wild Ginger and Woolly Nightshade (tobacco plant). You should also be on the lookout for monkey apple, cotoneaster, agapanthas (flower stems only please), Chinese privet, tradescantia, moth plant, gorse, and jasmine.
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.
Arrangements are the same as for our previous weed blitzes: we will have a 9m3 Northland Waste skip placed on the gravel patch leading to the stock yard at Rosedale (9 Charles Street) from Thursday 2nd to Monday 6th October. Residents are welcome to dispose of pest weeds into the skip over the long weekend.
To make room for everyone, please only use the skip to dispose of targeted pest weeds – no flax, cabbage leaves or yuccas please. Do not dispose of any plastic bags (your weeds need to be emptied out), household rubbish, construction rubbish, garden rubbish 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.
MERRA has a supply of paste to use if you are cutting and pasting your weeds. Please give Chris Russell a call on 027 4933881. Chris can also provide advice on how best to treat and dispose of weeds.