Bay of Plenty Regional Council looking to score weeds

Biosecurity officer Shane Hona will be at the Kuirau Park Market this Saturday to swap native plants for weeds found in local's gardens. Photo/Supplied

It's that time of the year again, with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council offering free native plants in exchange for weeds from your garden.

Biosecurity officer Shane Hona said staff will be at the Rotary Market at Kuirau Park on Saturday to spark interest about weeds found in Rotorua, and provide advice on how to identify and control them.

"If you're in the garden doing some spring cleaning and find any weed species that you haven't noticed before, bring in a sample to our stall and we will help to identify them.

"Some invasive weed species can damage natural areas and completely smother native species, so it's important we get the message out to locals."

Mr Hona said he has noticed an increase of families dropping in to the stall over the past couple of years.

"It is a great way for tamariki (children) to get their hands dirty by helping to clear weeds from the garden and learn about the importance of planting natives instead."

A range of native plants will be available at the Weed Swap stall, including grasses, flaxes and shrubs.

Regional council staff will be at the Kuirau Park market from 8am-1pm, or until all the native plants have been swapped.

To make the weeds easier to dispose of, they should be contained in disposable bags.