GREEN solution tackles 3G rugby pitch problem
A 7000m2 flood-damaged All Weather 3G Pitch that seemed destined for landfill was rescued thanks to a ground-breaking reclamation & reinstallation project – the first of its kind in the UK.
The pioneering approach taken by Sports Maintenance Services (SMS) saved Middlesbrough College and its insurers an estimated £150,000+ as well as reinforcing good corporate governance regarding environmental sustainability.
The company described the project as a model example of sustainability in action, as important for its low-carbon footprint as it was for its significant cost savings to the client.
The surface, used for rugby and football, was severely damaged when the River Tees burst its banks.
An early inspection confirmed extensive damage. The carpet had rucked in several places, the sub-base was compromised, and rubber infill had been washed away.
Even though it had only been laid a couple of years before the flood, the traditional linear model of land-filling the entire system and replacing it with new – carried an estimated cost of more than £250,000.
SMS offered the environmental solution. Sales Manager Jason Lewis-Lamb explained: “Contractors told the college 345 tonnes of infill, carpet and shock pad would have to go to landfill.
“Bearing in mind the carpet was only four years old, this was a huge amount of value to throw away – especially as it was in good order”
SMS implemented the Xtraction process TM, with the precision cutting, rolling and separation of 320 tonnes of infill from the carpet without damaging the existing shock pad.
Failings in the sub-base were then repaired by Hellens Group and then passed by Sports Lab base testing. SMS then reinstalled the entire carpet system that was then certified by Sports Labs testing to World Rugby standards.
Jason Lewis-Lamb added: “Our green solution managed to prevent waste and eliminated carbon emissions throughout the entire supply chain within the synthetic turf industry.
“The monetary saving was impressive, but the real value was in the reuse of materials and the project’s sustainability.”
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