27th September 2010
Recycled garden waste grows better sporting fields
To better deal with the effects of extended drought periods and imposed water restrictions on sporting fields, Auburn, Penrith and Camden Councils have formed an alliance and secured a three year $1 Million grant from the NSW Environment Trust.
The three councils use recycled organic waste collected from residents to improve the soil and turf growth and reduce water usage on selected sporting fields in their respective areas.
“The current trial involves a new method (of drilling holes and turning the soil) which mixes the composted organic material with the soil. This method is thought to be an improvement on previous trials conducted last summer where the recycled garden waste was placed in various thicknesses on top of the turf. The different methods will all be tested as part of the trial to see which is the most effective,” said Auburn City Council’s Park manager David Sheils.
“Auburn City Council selected Progress Park and Mona Park to be part of the project, because these fields receive high levels of use and require water for irrigation. This Wednesday Mona Park will be top-dressed with recycled garden waste. The results of the Mona Park test won't be known for some months, but we anticipate that the benefits of incorporating organic material into the sportsground are:
- it is a more natural and a more cost effective form of fertiliser
- it provides a use for domestic waste that would have otherwise headed off to a landfill site
- it increases the water holding capacity of the soil, thereby reducing the amount of water required
- it reduces the relative 'hardness' of the ground thereby improving the surface for players
“We welcome the opportunity to trial this new method of improving sportsgrounds and we are looking forward to Mona Park being a little bit greener this year whilst saving water.”
So far a total weight of 2,970 tonnes of recycled organic material has been used as top dressing on the project fields. The trial is anticipated to finish in February 2011.
University of Western Sydney have been engaged by the Alliance to undertake soil surveys and to compile data on rainfall, evaporation, grass types and ground condition.