Whether you’re a landscaping or arborist business or simply tidying up your own garden, your green waste could become a lifeline for native animals in care.

Local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation groups rely on fresh native foliage every day to feed and house the animals they look after. Both WIRES and Sydney Wildlife Rescue are currently accepting suitable native offcuts which gives gardeners, landowners, arborists and landscapers an easy way to support wildlife whilst also reducing waste.

Native animals recovering from injury or displacement need access to the same plants they would forage on in the wild. Donated foliage provides essential food, shelter and enrichment, making your offcuts far more valuable than you might expect.

You can donate most native foliage, including bottlebrush, eucalypts, acacia, banksia, grevillea and casuarinas. A more detailed list of suitable plants can be found in the WIRES species guide.

Before you start pruning or removing vegetation, make sure your works comply with local tree regulations. You can check what is permitted on private land here. 

Once you’ve confirmed your works are allowed, donating your offcuts is easy. To donate to WIRES, you can visit the WIRES website to see the list of acceptable plant species and sign up. For Sydney Wildlife Rescue, you can email Diane at treasurer@sydneywildlife.org.au.

Your next garden clean up could help a native animal get back on its feet.