Council and independent contractors were complying with a NSW Land and Environment Court decision to tidy up the property, the third court-ordered tidy-up in the last 10 years.

Ms Kjoller said the ongoing dispute over her yard had left her with legal bills and fines totalling $75,000.

An avid recycler, she said the majority of the things removed in Wednesday’s clean-up were items she intended to use in her garden.

“I’ve been recycling for more than 40 years, before it became popular,” she said.

“They just came here and took whatever they wanted.

“They only seemed to take anything that was any good ... they even wanted to take the mulcher.

“They took the dog’s blanket and the spoon I use to give the dogs their food.

“I cried when I looked at the mess and saw what they’d done.”

She claims they also removed new items such as gum boots, bags of soil and poison.

Ms Kjoller said she had kept her backyard neat and tidy, and at the time of the clean-up it contained neatly arranged seedlings, bulbs and plants.

She estimates three to four thousand dollars worth of plants were lost after the clean-up crew destroyed or removed potted plants and flowerbeds which she uses in her nursery business.

Ms Kjoller said despite bouts of ill health, including three battles with cancer, she has been making an effort to ensure her yards are tidy.

“Some doctors and nurses I know have told me that it’s remarkable what I’ve done,” she said.

Ms Kjoller thinks council resents her compensation claims for fences she claims council damaged while conducting a previous clean-up.

“It’s a payback,” she said.

However, council said it was acting on numerous complaints from members of the community and complying with NSW Land and Environment Court rulings .

“This is a democracy, shouldn’t I be able to have the plants I want and run the business I want?” Ms Kjoller said.