Busting weeds in your backyard
Invasive weeds threaten native biodiversity, urban gardens, and agriculture productivity. Get involved—learn how to identify, dispose of them, and prevent their spread.
Weeds are unwanted plants that compete for resources, disrupt ecosystems, and harm native species. Many weeds are known as ‘garden escapees.’ These are species that were originally brought to New Zealand as ornamental plants but have since spread into natural environments.
Help us to protect local biodiversity, maintain healthy gardens, and ensure that our green spaces thrive. It's the small efforts that can make a big difference.
How to dispose of weedy waste wisely
Disposing of your weed waste responsibly is essential in helping to prevent the spread of weeds.
- Dispose of weeds legally: The dumping of weedy waste is not only illegal, but it also jeopardises thousands of hours of weed removal work undertaken by volunteers and local councils.
- Check before giving away plants: Before giving away plants from your garden, ensure they're not invasive. Dispose of any invasive species properly to prevent spreading them in your community. Visit the National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) for guidance.
- Cover weed waste during transport: Sometimes weeds are spread unintentionally when people try to remove them. Remember to cover all weed waste when you’re moving around to reduce the risk of fragments flying off and starting new infestations on your journey.
Dispose of weedy waste wisely
- Avoid home composting for tough species: While a home composting system is a great addition to your garden, not everything can be composted at home. Some weedy species such as tradescantia require very hot temperatures to break down and will survive the home composting process continuing to spread through your garden and your neighbours too.
- Follow local disposal guidelines: Make sure you check your local Council’s website for information on the best place to dispose of the weeds from your garden.
Buying and selling plants
Understanding the plants you buy and sell is crucial for everyone.
House plants have become increasingly popular leading to a rise in sales on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, TradeMe, and at local events such as weekend markets, school fetes, and plant swap/trade events.
This surge in popularity does come with risks, so you need to make sure you know what you are buying or selling.
Unwanted organisms
There are several unwanted organisms that cannot legally be sold, propagated, or distributed in New Zealand as listed on the Ministry for Primary Industries’ National Pest Plant Accord.
Regulated plants listed on NPPA pose a high risk to our environment, economy, recreation, and cultural values.
Canterbury’s most traded NPPA plants:
Make sure you know what you are buying or selling
If you see a plant in the wild you would like to propagate research its species first. Check if you can legally take a cutting and how invasive it is – it may save you a lot of trouble later on! Search for a pest or disease
Weedbusters
Weedbusters is a national initiative helping to raise New Zealander’s awareness of the weedy species that pose a threat to our native biodiversity, economy, our health and cultural values.
It encourages communities to take action in their own backyards to stop the spread by controlling weeds and disposing of them responsibly.
The Weedbusters website is a handy resource for learning how to identify weeds, why they are a nuisance and finding out how to control them effectively.
Join a weedbusting group – find the group working in your area.
Keen to hear from us at your next event?
If you or your local community group have an event or meeting coming up, our biosecurity team are happy to come and have a chat about backyard weeds and pest species of concern in your area.
Email us: biosecurity@ecan.govt.nz or call us on 0800 324 636.