The Green Directory - Australia's Green Business Directory

Much Ado About Mulch

Oh tyre, where art thou?

Old tyres have for years ended up at the tip, as bumpers for boats or in various positions around the garden – even swan shaped planters can still be seen in some gardens!

Now there is a much more useful role for them to play in parks and gardens with Enduro Rubber Mulch, which makes great gardening use of old tyres, recycling them into durable garden mulch.

Enduro Rubber Mulch is one of 16 products to receive the Smart Approved WaterMark in the latest assessments, bringing the total to over 200 domestic and commercial products and services that have been approved to use Australia’s independent water conservation label.

“Our Independent Expert Panel recognised Enduro Rubber Mulch as a simple, effective and long lasting solution to retaining water around the garden,” said the CEO of the Smart WaterMark, Julian Gray.

“At the same time it is providing a recycling solution for tyres past their principal use, which is a major issue for our community.”

Where some wood chips attract termites and have a relatively short life-span, Enduro Rubber Mulch will last between 25+ years in harsh Australian conditions. This, coupled with six colours to suit any garden, park, commercial or industrial area provides a great alternative to woodchip or stone.

An Australian innovation, Enduro Rubber Mulch is non-toxic and does not fade. Tests have shown that Rubber Mulch reduces the need to water and retains water within the soil, saving money and resources.

Other products to gain approval from Smart WaterMark include:

For the garden and landscaping.

DRiWATER Slow release Watering System from DRiWATER. This system interacts with the soil to gradually release water to the roots of the plant. It solidifies the water, releasing the water slowly to supply the plant over a period of time.

Toro Precision Spray Nozzles – from Toro Australia. Using a patented nozzle (?) system, they distribute water more efficiently and at 1/3 less flow to reach a radius of a conventional spray nozzle.

Aquamor™ Soil Improver Plus and Aquamor™ Soil Blend from Eclipse Soils. Aquamor™ Soil Blend has been designed to accommodate direct laying and planting into the medium. This product provides long term water holding capabilities. Aquamor™ Soil Improver has been specifically designed for large scale application to sandy soils. The product is designed to be mixed with existing onsite sands to significantly improve water and nutrient retention.

Sanoplant from Sanoway. Sanoplant is a soil conditioner made from silicate stone powders which allows soils (especially sandy soils) to retain more water for plant growth.

For the home.

Ryobi Electric and Petrol Pressure Washers from Ryobi. Both models have a low flow rate below 9L per minute. Ryobi Electric high pressure washers use 80% less water than a garden hose, while providing high pressure. These models both allow use of water from a bucket, tank or mains and are grey water adaptable.

Toilet Water Saver from With Innovations Pty Ltd.  Made from 100% recycled material, it works effectively by displacing the water within older toilet cisterns each time they refill.

RainSmart... This grey water diverter system is used in connection with a rainwater tank and it allows the user to automatically swap from mains water to harvested water as needed

EE-EnvicLean. This is a dry encapsulant cleaning product for liquid spills. Able to absorb any liquid without the use of water, EE-EnvicLean is non-toxic, non chemical and odourless.

For the pool

CoolGuard, EnergyGuard, Sol+Guard from Plastipak, Classic Pool Covers and a Pools n Tools Pool Cover have been awarded the Smart WaterMark. ** These have proven an 80% or higher saving on water evaporation, which could save more than 40,000 litres of water a year per average pool. To see how much water you could save by using a pool cover, visit the free online calculator at www.smartwatermark.org

Diamond Kleen – from Poolrite. A pool filtration medium made from recycled glass, it is an environmentally sound alternative reducing the need to use pool chemicals.

Smart Approved WaterMark is Australia's water saving labelling program for products and services which are helping to reduce outdoor water use. The Smart WaterMark is run by the Water Services Association of Australia, Irrigation Australia, the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia and the Australian Water Association supported by The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts with funding from the Australian Government's Water for the Future - Water Smart Australia Program.