Recycled-glass turf a 'world first'

PATRICK HAMILTON

SUSTAINABLE SAND: Nelson Mayor Kerry Marshall stands proudly before the strip that he poured during Monday's first application of the glass mixture on the playing field at Trafalgar Park.

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Sand, returned to its original form from thousands of tonnes of crushed glass, is being applied to Trafalgar Park, giving it a distinct coastal look.

The sand carpet is part of a "world first" new turf being laid in readiness for Rugby World Cup 2011 and events beyond.

Nelson City Council senior project manager Shane Davies said there were no other grounds in the world with recycled glass sand turf.

The $5.9 million park upgrade includes a 16-kilometre network of underground stormwater drains, on which 2800 tonnes of crushed recycled glass is being laid in readiness for grass to be sown into it.

Nelson Mayor Kerry Marshall, plus councillors, council staff and engineers involved in the project, witnessed yesterday the pouring of the first bag of recycled glass sand that will form the turf's base.

Mr Marshall got behind the wheel of a tractor and implement which dispersed the first narrow strip of sand, which will soon cover the two-hectare park.

The amount needed to cover it equals around 7 per cent of the glass recycled annually in the South Island, Mr Davies said.

Mr Marshall said yesterday it was not only an important step in the process of upgrading Trafalgar Park, but a sign that Nelson was "leading the world" in the use of a recycled product.

Mr Davies said recycled glass sand was a sustainable material because it was readily available and did not take away from existing natural resources of sand.

He said it could be manufactured to the exact grading required and each year, when a fresh top coat was applied to replenish lost sand, it could be manufactured to the exact grade of the existing sand.

It also provided excellent drainage, allowing the ground to be used quickly after rain.

Over the next 20 weeks, the seed will burst into growth that will look like a full grass turf and eventually root down 10 centimetres through the sand carpet into the soil.

Displays of the turf samples can be seen at Civic House and the Elma Turner Library in Nelson.

- © Fairfax NZ News