Hilltops Council has picked up one of the top prizes at the 2024 Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards at a special event held at Cockle Bay Warf in Sydney last week.

Hilltops Council picked up the top award for Invasive Species Management and was one of 32 Local Government Areas to be awarded at the event.

Hilltops Biosecurity Officers Thomas Pickering and Ben Mott were both in attendance at the awards ceremony to receive the award.

“We are so stoked to receive this award and be recognised for our hard work and achievement," Thomas said.

"The project involved looking at different alternatives to herbicide use, resulting in less impact on the environment.”

Mayor Brian Ingram has congratulated the staff on the development and instigation of the program.

"It is an honour to receive this prestigious award, recognising the innovative and cost-effective work Council is achieving in this area," Mayor Ingram said.

"I extend my congratulations to the staff who delivered this project and express our gratitude to the NSW Government for their financial support. This accolade is a testament to the efforts of Hilltops Council staff, and we are proud of their achievements."

Hilltops picked up the award for its Bribbaree Velvety Tree Pear Biocontrol Program which was launched at the end of the drought in 2018.

The site at Bribbaree was highly infested with the invasive cactus Velvety Tree Pear.

"Chemical spraying for weed control was deemed impractical, whereas natural biocontrol offered a less harmful, more environmentally practical method of controlling this cactus over a longer period of time," Council said.

"Through trials and tribulations, Hilltops Council staff have grown a small facility into a large scale greenhouse, enabling multiple annual releases of the biocontrol agent known as Cochineal."

Cochineal (Dactylopius opuntia), is a scale insect that lives on cacti and produces a natural red dye.

Cochineal are tiny, flat, oval-shaped, wingless insects with soft bodies that is invasive to the Velvety Tree Pear.

"As the site is located close to a village, it was important to control the cactus safely," Council said.

"Chemical control through spraying was not deemed feasible, so Council staff designed a program to breed and release cochineal insects onto the cactus over a period of three to five years.

"The female cochineal insect burrows into the cactus, sucking nutrients from the plant until the plant is exhausted and dies."

When coming up with the plan, Council staff travelled to Lightning Ridge to gather information on how Castlereagh Macquarie County Council (CMCC) grow and release cochineal to control Hudson Pear.

"With the help of CMCC and Parkes Shire Council, Hilltops Council procured some cochineal insects to control this specific species of cactus - there are nine different species of cochineal," Council said.

"Initially the cochineal was grown in small amounts using a recycled IBC plastic 1000L container.

"This process was very slow, but in early 2023, Hilltops Council was successful in receiving a Weed Action Program grant from South East Local Land Services to build a large scale greenhouse, which enabled it to grow more cochineal rapidly and release it multiple times a year."

Council is now able to grow up to 16, 60L tubs at any time, that enable to cochineal to also be distributed to the community or regional weeds partners.

"Large releases of the cochineal were made in the eastern portion of the Bribbaree site," Council said.

"The insect is spread by wind and have now spread several hundred meters to the western end of the project site.

"The long term goal of this project is to eradicate the cactus.

"Several visits are made throughout the year to observe the spread of the insect and the reduction of the cactus population."

Local Government NSW president Cr Darriea Turley AM congratulated all the winners and said this year’s submissions were exceptional.

“The need to protect and enhance our environment has become one of the most critical challenges of the modern day, and these awards demonstrate how local councils across NSW are leading the way,” Cr Turley said.

“It’s important that we celebrate and recognise the amazing work being done by councils and council staff,” she said.

“It's clear that councils are meeting environmental challenges head-on, with innovation and passion, achieving meaningful outcomes for their communities,” Cr Turley said.