A MOUNTAIN of soil improver lies abandoned in WA’s southern forests when it could be helping householders shave hundreds of dollars from their water bills, says a local environmental guru.
Chris Ferreira from The Forever Project and Great Gardens says ‘red mud’ is a by-product of Alcoa’s bauxite mines and it can boost the productivity of Perth’s sandy soils and reduce water loss.
He says there’s tonnes of the stuff which, for about $100 per property, could be churned into the soil of new subdivisions that are driving Cockburn’s burgeoning population. Once there, the mud stays, meaning big water savings, less leaching of nutrients into wetlands and bigger vegies in backyard plots.
The by-product got a bad rap when marketed to farmers a decade ago as Alkaloam. Some farmers wrongly attributed health problems in cattle to the mud’s slightly elevated levels of natural radiation and the trial was aborted.
Mr Ferreira says now the truth has been established the Barnett government should act to remove barriers to the product’s sale.
He even reckons if more effort had gone into reducing water usage through better soil management and encouraging recycled water, the $1.3 billion desalination plant in Binningup would have been unnecessary.
• Chris Ferreira’s created a backyard paradise his kids love to play in.
His own home near the famous Bakers Square in Hamilton Hill is a case in point: the lush front garden uses just 5000 litres of water a year—mostly grey water—and Mr Ferreira turns his sprinklers on maybe once a fortnight. Across the road his neighbour’s tidy lawn uses 10 times the water and the bore is on three times a week.
Mr Ferreira also gave his 1950s home a $100,000 sustainability makeover, including insulation under the floorboards. He’s been able to ditch his air-conditioner completely; a neighbour in an almost identical house used to camp outside from November to March because of baking heat inside, but they’ve now taken a leaf out of his book.
Mr Ferreira’s giving tips this weekend on how to save money and natural resources, and you can see the backyard he’s created that’s fun for the kids and capable of housing two extra families without lopping a single tree as part of this year’s Open Gardens.
Mr Ferreira’s home, at 11 Mortlock Street in Hamilton Hill, is open tomorrow, Sunday September 7. If you’re into Open Gardens don’t miss out, as this year marks the end of the popular program. Well-meaning schools and community groups who’ve organised their own “open gardens” have ended up gutting the non-profit organisation’s market. Revenue fell so much last year the national organising committee decided to call it quits.
by STEVE GRANT