Public Service Announcement

Safe Disposal of Giant Hogweed

(Monday, July 19, 2010) - HRM staff are recommending that residents wondering how to dispose of Giant Hogweed, contact a professional landscaper. A landscaper is recommended for the following reasons: Giant Hogweed may present environmental health and safety risks to residents considering handling the plant; and is currently considered a potentially Hazardous Material and not acceptable for either HRM landfill or the compost waste management processes.

HRM staff are asking residents or landscapers to either arrange for disposal of Giant Hogweed by incineration or hydroclave (high temperature steam blasting). Alternately, it can simply be bagged and temporarily retained until staff are able to determine how to deal with it as a hazardous waste. Giant Hogweed does not go in green bins or regular garbage.

For more information on Giant Hogweed, visit www.halifax.ca

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Contact:

Richard Maclellan, Manager
Sustainable Environment Management Office
Phone: (902) 490-6056