Weed control program

The City of Hobart is committed to making sure herbicide use is minimised in our management of weeds, and we will continue to investigate alternatives where available and suitable. We control weed species through a range of management practices across our municipality.

Public places that require weed control

  • Public parks, reserves and other green open spaces
    • Playgrounds
    • BBQ & picnic areas
  • Sportsfields, ovals and skate facilities
  • Planter boxes and flower displays
  • Street trees and street bases/squares
  • Footpaths, laneways, public roads & drains
  • Public toilets
  • Council depots

We only use herbicides in parks and reserves when necessary, and do not generally use herbicide within fenced playgrounds or in the immediate vicinity of play equipment outside of fenced areas.

Emergency treatment of weed infestations within play areas will be treated with certified organic spray, such as Slasher® or by manual removal.

Products used in the Parks and Reserve spray program

  • Herbicide – Weedmaster Duo® (Glyphosate) is an aquatic and environmentally friendly formulation of Glyphosate.
  • Spray Marker Dye – Blazon Blue is a non-staining, non-hazardous polymer blue spray indicator colourant. You can see where it has been sprayed due to the dye within the product.
  • Herbicide – Slasher® is a certified organic weedkiller that is non-residual and made from natural plant extracts.
  • Herbicide – Bioweed® is a certified organic weedkiller that is non-residual and based on pine oil.
  • Steam – Trials have been conducted using steam treatment but have currently be discontinued.

Spraying on roads

To keep our city clean and attractive, we spray weeds found along and adjacent to roads. This spraying program targets vegetation and weed growth on urban streets, footpaths, kerbs, gutters and property frontages to minimise the collection of litter and debris. It also helps to maintain traffic visibility and pedestrian safety.

There are four spray cycles per year, which are based on the life cycle of the weeds to help prevent the spread of seeds. Generally, spraying is carried out in September, December, February and May. The timing of this program depends on seasonal growth and weather conditions.

We engage contractors to spot spray weeds, which reduces the risk of over spraying and excessive use of chemicals.  

Program coverage

The roadside spraying program manages weeds only on the road reserves that we manage. Contractors are engaged to maintain the majority of the areas, however, in some of the more sensitive locations such as kunanyi/Mt Wellington, Fern Tree, Ridgeway and the Queens Domain precinct, weed control is maintained by our workforce.

Controls

We have very comprehensive and strict specifications for the use of chemicals and make sure that herbicides are applied to public places in a safe, responsible manner, minimising potential harm to the community and the environment.

In addition, our workforce and all contractors must follow the appropriate codes of practice as set out by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.

All operators must be licensed to use agricultural chemicals.

DPIPWE: Code of Practice for Ground Spraying

DPIPWE: Code of Practice for Spraying in Public Places

No Spray Register

If you don’t want chemicals used in front of your property, you can request to be added to the No Spray Register and carry out the removal of weeds either manually or using a variety of alternative treatment methods.

No Spray Register page

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