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Melbourne - Sportfix Clean retains microplastics

Advert by IAKS member HAURATON

Environmentally friendly drainage at major sports facility 

The award-winning Sportfix Clean filter channel system from Hauraton is being used in the south-east of the Australian metropolis of Melbourne. At the impressive IYU Recreation Reserve sports facility in Pakenham, the city is demonstrating a high level of environmental responsibility by using Sportfix Clean. Abrasion, pollutants and other micro-particles from artificial turf pitches are collected and retained. 

A comprehensive drainage solution with a high-performance filter system is essential, especially for a facility as versatile and extensive as the IYU Recreation Reserve. The area is the largest and most prestigious sports and football facility in the Cardinia Shire metropolitan district and has a synthetic athletics track - a 400-metre running track with a ten-lane straight, the islands for long jump/triple jump, pole vault, high jump, javelin throw, shot put, hammer/discus and steeplechase. The site has also included several ball fields and playing fields since 2017: a senior football pitch, an all-weather synthetic football pitch, a playground and a basketball half-court.


 

Hauraton Melboburne

©HAURATON

Challenge and solution

Compliance with global athletics standards was the top priority for the project developers: rainwater run-off must be drained away from the running track and collected very quickly and efficiently. To achieve this, it was important to provide a product that would function reliably throughout its service life and withstand the extreme heat and sun of Australia.

Hauraton's Sportfix channels were identified as the solution. They comply with global athletics standards and therefore offer athletes optimum safety. They are made from 96 per cent recycled material and provide a sustainable drainage solution. The Sportfix slotted channels are largely covered by the running track surface. Only narrow inlet slots remain visible on the surface.

The current discussion about microplastic pollution caused by the discharge of particles from synthetic turf surfaces played a major role in the decision. The channel filter, the Sportfix Clean channel from Hauraton, stands for environmentally friendly surface drainage. It quickly drains accumulating water from the sports pitch and at the same time retains the discharge of microplastic particles and pollutants. The purified water can then be used for irrigation or seeped away on site and returned to the natural water cycle. The filter solution was brought to market by Hauraton after years of research and development work and was honoured with the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Award in 2019.