Weed control

Weed management is a key part of protecting biodiversity and encouraging indigenous flora and fauna. This is especially important along creeks and waterways, as well as in parks, garden beds, sports fields, streets and laneways.

We have different ways of managing weeds, including:

  • hand weeding
  • slow burning
  • biological control
  • the use of non-residual chemical herbicides.

We are committed to reducing the use of inorganic herbicides to control weeds.

To learn more about the use of weed control in Merri-bek visit our Conversations Merri-bek website or you can read our Council Pest and Weed Management Policy (DOC 112Kb) for more information.

  • You can be added to our 'No Spray' register if you do not want us to use chemically-based herbicides on the weeds outside your property.

    If you put yourself on the register, you are agreeing to manage the weeds on the footpath and the kerb in front of and next to your property. You can do this by hand-weeding or using your own environmentally-safe product.

    Email our Open Space Team to register. Make sure you include your name and address. We will then send you a renewal notice each year to check you still want to be on the register.

  • We limit our use of herbicides products to the maintenance of weeds, along the following public areas:

    • Street and lane ways
    • Sports fields
    • Parklands

    To ensure the health and safety of our community members, local wildlife and the local environment – we ensure we follow a number of procedures.

    This includes:

    • Documented work safe procedures for all staff and contractors
    • Precautionary measures for the public, including installing signage in areas where spraying is taking place when spraying in parks and sports fields
    • Documentation of areas treated and record keeping system
    • Providing the opportunity for residents to sign up to our ‘No Spray register’
    • Monitoring weather conditions to avoid spray drifting to nearby areas

    Glyphosate (traded as Round-up) is a common chemical weedicide used to control a broad range of weeds. With concerns raised in the media in recent years, glyphosate products have been phased out from use from high profile sites like playgrounds and child care centres.  

    We are committed to using alternatives to glyphosate where these are effective, and generally reducing our need for chemical applications.

Weed management in laneways

We are currently experiencing an unusually high demand for this service due to excessive weed growth that has occurred throughout the municipality.

Current conditions of high rainfall and humidity are conducive to the weed growth of several weed species and has resulted in an unacceptable level of weed growth throughout the municipality.

Our contractor is currently devoting additional resources to this work area to accommodate for the increase in demand and envisage that they will work through the backlog in the near future.

The worst of the seasonal growth areas in the constructed laneways (ROWs) is currently being sprayed with herbicide and we will endeavour to work through the spraying requirements of the rest of the laneways within the municipality within the next 6 months. You can usually see the effects of spraying after 2-3 weeks, as the dead weeds start to disappear within the next 2-3 months.