Weeds

Noxious Weeds
A weed is any plant out of place. A 'noxious' weed is one that legally must be controlled or removed under the NSW Noxious Weeds Act 1993. All owners and occupiers of property are obliged to comply with this Act. Weeds are declared noxious if they pose a significant problem to human health, the environment (ie. 'environmental' weeds), livestock or the agriculture industry. Not all weeds in this section are declared noxious in all areas. Check with your local council to find out which weeds are declared noxious in your area and for details on the control measures required.

Environmental Weeds
In the Sydney region, the remaining areas of natural bushland are under serious threat due to the invasion of environmental weeds. These plants, introduced from other parts of Australia or the world, have few predators and often produce vast quantities of seed, and so out-compete or smother native plants. This makes them vigourous invaders, especially in disturbed areas and where soil nutrient levels are high, such as from stormwater pollution. Only some environmental weeds are declared noxious.

Garden Escapes
Many environmental weeds begin life in someone’s backyard where they have been deliberately planted. These 'garden escapes' can be spread by birds eating the seeds or people dumping garden clippings into the bush. Once they take over an area, the character of our native bush changes, reducing habitat for native wildlife and altering fire regimes. To find out more, read about the Grow Me Instead! project and download the related Grow Me Instead brochure.

Weed Alerts
Preventing new weed problems is a major goal of the Sydney Weeds Committees. There are some noxious and environmental weeds which are currently rare or not found in some or all parts of the Sydney region which have the potential to spread and cause significant environmental and economic impacts. A weed alert reporting system is being developed to help agency staff, contractors and the community to detect and report new and emerging weeds so that they are rapidly controlled and prevented from spreading to new areas.