Edison residents complain about invasive bamboo taking over backyards
Since Edison Township passed a ban on growing bamboo last year, 25 residents have filed complaints against neighbors. Homeowners have to cut back bamboo if it intrudes on properties or face fines.
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Twenty-five Edison homeowners have filed complaints with the township about neighbors allowing bamboo to invade their yards. The complaints come after the township put in place an ordinance which puts a ban on growing the invasive species in April 2025.
Along Third Street in Edison, homeowner Brenda Eagle showed News 12 bamboo belonging to a neighbor, which has been continually finding its way into her backyard since 2019.
“It popped up. My husband had to use a chainsaw to cut it down. He dug a trench here by our fence and put down metal sheathing. It’s not preventing. This stuff will blow through concrete," said Eagle.
While some like to use bamboo as an effective natural border between properties, it can also spread by seven feet within a year. Bamboo often has to be dug up to effectively eradicate the invasive species.
Eagle is afraid that the bamboo coming over from her neighbors' property will destroy her backyard. She's also worried about her property value if she wants to sell.
"Anybody who comes back here and looks at the beautiful yard, they're going to see that and not want to buy it," said Eagle.
The Edison ordinance says that those who already have bamboo must manage it by cutting it back and keeping a 10-foot buffer from other properties. Otherwise, people will be fined.
Mayor Sam Joshi is a proponent of the ordinance because bamboo can spread and destroy a property. But he clarified that the township would only go onto a property and remove bamboo in a special circumstance.
“If it’s an abandoned property or if it’s a bank-owned property, we’ve seen that with grass as well," said Joshi.
The fine for failing to remove bamboo that’s intruding on another property is $100 a day for each day that the violation continues.
Edison Township Councilman Joe Coyle agrees with the mayor that the ordinance is needed and expects fines will compel people to comply.
“We also hope that the fine is at a fair market that they decide to clean up versus paying the fine," said Councilman Coyle.
Those homeowners who are trying to compel a neighbor to cut down and dig up bamboo may have to seek relief in civil court.
