Community weed bins return for another year; Keeping the momentum up

Community weed bins return for another year

Residents close to the Waitākere Ranges can look forward to free bins for pest plants for another 12 months, as efforts continue in the fight against one of the forest’s major biodiversity threats.

“We’re thrilled to announce the dates and locations for the community weed bins this year, and to be able to support the weeders of the Waitākere Ranges yet again,” says Mel Ward from EcoMatters Environment Trust, who administers the bins.

Funded by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and supported by Auckland Council, the community weed bins provide opportunities for people with invasive weeds in their backyard to get rid of them at no cost.

“The bins have been well used and supported by the community in the last 12 months. We’ve been happy to see them being used for the right types of pest plants, and I’m pleased to say that the dumping of inappropriate waste has been at its lowest in years,” says Mel.

The invasive weeds accepted at the weed bins are Chinese privet, climbing asparagus, honeysuckle, jasmine, moth plant, plectranthus, tree privet (small branches only), tradescantia, and wild ginger (roots and seed heads only).

“To help us make the bins even more efficient this year, we’d like to encourage people to use them for wild ginger seed heads and roots only as these are the parts that will regrow. Wild ginger stems and leaves don’t need to go into the bin as they can be composted at home. You can just leave them on the ground in the bush on your property,” says Mel.

“This ensures that the bins aren’t filled with unnecessary green matter, and are used in the most efficient way in our fight to protect the Waitākere Ranges,” she says.

See page 21 for the locations and dates for all local community weed bins.

To find out more, visit ecomatters.org.nz/weedbins Keeping the momentum up

EcoMatters Environment Trust has appointed its Head of Operations, Carla Gee, as Acting CEO for an initial period of six months, replacing outgoing CEO, Damon Birchfield, who has left to pursue other opportunities after nearly seven years in the role.

Carla joined EcoMatters in 2016 with a background managing large teams in the retail and wholesale travel industry, before moving into a role coordinating EcoMatters’ new acting international travel for high performance CEO, Carla Gee. athletes with TriNZ. Immediately before joining EcoMatters, she worked alongside regional managers within the Warehouse Group for almost four years.

EcoMatters Chair, Charlotte Moore, says Carla has the right mix of skills and organisational fit to keep EcoMatters moving forward.

Carla says she's both honoured and excited to take on this new challenge. “I have so much aroha for this organisation, the people behind it and what it has achieved together with the wider community. I’m looking forward to helping keep up the momentum that our departing CEO Damon and the team have built here at EcoMatters.”

EcoMatters Environment Trust was established in 2002 and works alongside communities to deliver environmental initiatives with key entities such as Auckland Council, the Ministry for the Environment, philanthropic funders and other not-for-profit and community groups.

It aims to connect people and place and to nurture kaitiakitanga (guardianship), by supporting the community with knowledge and tools to restore nature, grow food, reduce waste, ride and fix bikes, and live more sustainably. Last year alone EcoMatters reached and worked with nearly 50,000 Auckland residents.