Mariemont High School – Zero Waste Project
Project Overview
We were thrilled to partner with the athletics department of Mariemont High School for what we’ve dubbed “The Zero Waste Initiative Project.” Using an innovative approach, The Motz Group replaced the artificial turf sports field without dozens of dumpsters of material going to a landfill!
Mariemont High School has a longstanding relationship with the Motz Group. We’ve installed and maintained the school’s artificial turf sports field for over a decade. After ten years of athletic activities, it was time for the school to replace the existing turf on their sports field, but they wanted to do it in the most environmentally responsible way. Together, we accomplished just that. This project is a testament to sustainability in the turf industry!
The Challenge
At The Motz Group, we love when clients are ready to put their values into action and encourage field owners to consider products and services that conserve resources and bolster sustainability efforts. Mariemont was a prime candidate because they originally chose a reusable pad and infill; these are long-lasting field components designed to be used for multiple life cycles. Our goal was simply to remove and replace the full system while minimizing landfill waste and install the greenest, high-performance turf infill and turf components available.
The Solution
The new surface is the third field our team installed for the Warriors since 2002. This project was a little different, though, with each piece of the old field being recycled! The turf was too worn to reuse, so it was sent back to the manufacturer to recycle it, where it was ground up and repurposed into new pads for other fields.
The Envirofill initially used was efficiently removed and re-installed using equipment from our sister company, Turf Reclamation Solutions. One of the many benefits of this infill is its exceptionally long life-cycle backed by an industry-leading 16-year warranty; this product retains its value from one lifecycle to the next, and it’s the only infill used homogeneously in the industry, making removal and re-installation easy. Reused Envirofill achieves the same level of performance as new infill without layering or mixing materials.
We also reused the existing bonded rubber pad installed in 2002, which was rolled up using the TRS equipment, and after the base was re-graded, re-installed for its third life.
We have a long history with Motz and were very comfortable partnering with them. We’ve enjoyed creating a lot of firsts with Motz… the first synthetic turf field in the area 20 years ago, the first Envirofill field 10 years ago, and now the first zero-waste project. Motz is always looking forward.
The Wins
- SUSTAINABILITY
The entire project required less than one dumpster of waste; typically, a project this size requires between ten and twenty dumpsters of waste deposited to the landfill. Selecting products with a long expected life goes a long way in making zero waste possible. The turf was recycled by the manufacturer and additional turf scraps were turned into plastic lumber to use in perimeter nailer-boards on artificial turf installations. - HIGH PERFORMANCE
The newly replaced fields aren’t just good for the environment; they look good and offer student-athletes an exceptional experience, too. The firm, fast and safe surface of Envirofill resists compaction for consistently high performance. - TEAM BUY-IN
Taking a new approach to deconstruct and construct a new field can be difficult since conducting a zero-waste project is more complex than just throwing waste into a dumpster. Team buy-in was paramount to success! Our motivated crews were committed from the start, stayed on task, and focused to complete the new field. We developed new procedures to achieve our zero waste goal and met the delivery date of the field. This project was a huge victory for the Zero Waste Warriors of Mariemont High School! Together, we proved that zero-waste turf field replacement is possible and pioneered the process!
Ready to Get Started?
Interested in starting a project? Have questions about our process and products? Wherever you are in planning your dream field, we’re ready to walk through your specific needs, answer any questions you have, and talk through how our team of experts will be there to guide you every step of the way.
