Matthew Pears wants to get it right. Exactly right. Even after more than a decade as CEO of the City of Mitcham, with his council leading Australia in its innovative approach to sustainability, he insists there’s still room for improvement. “I don’t want to deliver some huge capital program; I want to deliver differently, with everything driven by a sustainability agenda,” he explains.
Take the council’s push to help recycle millions of tyres dumped every year. In 2019, in partnership with Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), the council used 850 used tyres to pave a 335-metre stretch of road in St Marys. The ground tyres were mixed into the binder of the asphalt road seal to create a sustainable and longer-lasting pavement. Additionally, Council is trialling a permeable car park in partnership with TSA and Melbourne University incorporating crushed waste tyres; the permeable surface allows water to penetrate and sustain vegetation.
“We’ve been studying water permeability associated with street trees; in fact, one of my staff has a Ph.D. in it,” Matthew reveals. “The water can get through and water the trees, but the initial fear was that the tree roots would grow up towards the footpath and destroy it. However, we’ve proven the opposite – it sends the tree roots down, away from the footpath. Now, because of our experience, we’re rolling water-sensitive infrastructure out on the scale.
This story is from the April 2021 edition of The CEO Magazine - ANZ.
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This story is from the April 2021 edition of The CEO Magazine - ANZ.
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