Water coolers and trash cans made from recycled plastic; compost generated
from food scraps and grass clippings; biodiesel fuel processed with leftover
cooking oil; and effluent water from treatment plants are just a few of the ways
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) members implement
recycling programs at their golf facilities.
These efforts are being highlighted on Nov. 15 as a part of America Recycles
Day, a program of Keep America Beautiful, a national non-profit organization
that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities.
A GCSAA survey reveals that its members and their facilities are highly
active in recycling/reusing items in the golf course management operations waste
stream. For example, 92 percent of facilities that have oils in their waste
stream recycle or reuse them. Other recycle/reuse rates include equipment/golf
car batteries (93 percent), hydraulic fluids (89 percent), fryer/cooking grease
(89 percent), pallets (79 percent), tires (77 percent) and aluminum (76
percent). Learn more about golf course recycling efforts.
"We tend to think about the environmental attributes of golf courses in terms
of what we see - wildlife habitat, green space, healthy turf that filters
impurities," GCSAA Director of Environmental Programs Greg Lyman said. "But what
we don't see is just as or even more impactful. Golf course operations lend
themselves very well to recycling programs, and the data suggests GCSAA members
are committed to them."
Lyman notes that the concept brings out the creativity in GCSAA members. For
example:
GCSAA Class A member Terry Stratton at Little River (Calif.) Inn Golf &
Tennis, with a meager annual budget of $182,000, recycles plastic bottles,
aluminum and scrap metal (80 percent he says) to fund continuing education for
his staff.
Dan Dinelli, CGCS and a GCSAA Class A member at North Shore Country Club in
Glenview, Ill., built three vermin composters utilizing red wigglers
(earthworms) to help degrade food waste from the kitchen to reduce waste, save
energy and produce a rich organic material that improves plant and soil
health.
GCSAA Class A member James Brown, CGCS at Newport Dunes Country Club in Port
Aransas, Texas, cleans equipment with a low-volume pressure washer to conserve
water. The water is then filtered through a grease trap. A waste management
company is contracted monthly to remove the solids accumulated in these traps
and the filtered water is reused.
James Houchen, GCSAA Class A member at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in
Newton, Kan., and other staff bought more than three tons of recycled products
last year and reduced other costs, which resulted in $32,000 in savings. The
effort, which won an EPA award, includes the collection of aluminum cans,
branches, cardboard boxes, fats, oil, greases, food, glass, light bulbs, mixed
paper, phonebooks, plastics, tires and yard trimmings.
Brett Hetland, CGCS and Class A member at Brooks National Golf Club in
Okoboji, Iowa, has won numerous environmental awards for programs that include
significant waste reduction and recycling. He has lowered the number of waste
pick-ups from five to three a week and has helped the facility to save money
through the reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy.
"I applaud our members in the effort they have taken to implement recycling
programs," Lyman said. "It really gets to the heart of sustainability because
you are talking about having a positive impact on the environment, on the budget
and the golfer experience. America Recycles Day gives us a platform to highlight
what is happening on a daily basis throughout the year."
0 comments:
Post a Comment