Bulky Materials

An Environmental Sustainability Indicator.

• Brief Description: This will include top-dressings for grass surfaces (such as sand, topsoil, prepared compost) or materials used in growing plants (flowers, shrubs etc.) and can include peat-based materials and other prepared growing media.
• Relevance to sustainability: If peat-based materials are used then this will have an impact on national peat reserves. The use of alternatives to peat-based materials during propagation, growing-on and planting is a consideration to reduce the impact of peat extraction. There can be damage to a local environment due to the material extraction and transportation of bulky material. Large amounts of natural resources can be applied to amenity surfaces, for example, a football pitch can routinely have a sand / sandy top-dressing application of at least 30 tonnes per year. Energy is used in the production and distribution processes: reducing this reduces carbon emissions.
• Unit of Measure: This indicator could be sub-categorised into the actual material used.
o Kilogram (kg) or tonnes (1000kg) to provide a total consumption figure.
o Kg or tonnes per unit area (e.g. 1000m2; per sports pitch)
o Kg or tonnes per unit of usage for the service (e.g. per 1000 park users; per game of football; per hour of bowls).