LAKE Macquarie Landcare has been banned by the council from using some herbicides to kill weeds. Volunteers are no longer allowed to use "indirect application methods, such as spraying, and cannot use herbicides other than glyphosate (Roundup)". Lake Macquarie council's community development director Morven Cameron said it was a complex matter because of occupational, health and safety legislation regarding the use of herbicides on public land. Councillor Ken Paxinos said the matter had "gone over the top", expressing concern such restrictions could see the decline of Landcare groups.