Weeds get the skip

By CASEY NEILL
HILLS residents filled three “enormous” skips with noxious weeds from their yards late last month.
Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn said the council set up the skips at Monbulk Reserve to encourage locals to clear weeds from their properties.
“It was an atrocious day in terms of weather,” she said.
“But that didn’t stop people.”
Cr Dunn said agapanthas and wandering trad were the main pests dumped during the weed blitz.
“We encouraged people to bring trailer-loads of weeds down,” she said.
“The skips were absolutely chock-a-block full of them.”
She said most dumpers came from Belgrave, Selby, and The Patch but the initiative would make a difference across the Dandenongs’ whole landscape – private and public land. Birds, animals, and wind can spread weeds from private properties into parkland.
The Monbulk blitz was a trial run and Cr Dunn said that given its success, another skip run was likely in the warmer months.
She said the shire would look at other potential sites but Monbulk was a good location for the dump.
“People didn’t seem to mind the drive to Monbulk,” she said.
“Congratulations to people for getting involved.”