Technical Services

Environmental Management on Campus

The following is a list of environmental practices currently being performed by Grounds Services on the Murdoch Campus: 

• Plantings are predominantly WA native plants.
• Plantings are carried out in early winter with the addition of a long term soil conditioner to enhance water penetration, as no supplementary watering is applied after initial planting. The success rate is over 90% on early plantings.
• Landscape designs take into account energy management principles eg. low maintenance, winter sun-summer shade etc.
• Low maintenance landscape design principles include plant spacings set at mature growth dimensions from footpaths, roadways and buildings to reduce pruning requirements.
• All garden beds are mulched with shredded pine bark 75-100mm thick to reduce water evaporation and ground temperature and retard weed seed germination.
• Tree prunings and car park sweepings are mulched and stockpiled for use on campus walk trails. 
• Large trunk sections are stockpiled next to the Curator's Compound for use as firewood by the Campus community.
• Large trunk sections are stockpiled next to the Curator's Compound for use as firewood by the Campus community.
• Grass clippings are regularly supplied to the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences for composting experiments, used to produce mulch for garden beds and spread on tracks to help stabilise the surface.
• Grassed areas are kept to a minimum by necessity to reduce water use, and only common couch and kikuyu is planted as these varieties are not affected by insect or fungus attack. This reduces the need to apply chemicals to almost nil. 
• Minimal use of fertiliser on lawns using organic based products to assist in humus buildup and reduce leaching.
• Herbicides used to control noxious weeds and grasses (low-impact chemicals Roundup and Fusilade).
• Integrated pest management approach to invertebrate pests incorporating Dipel (Bacillus thuringiensis) and garlic extract/citronella oil for pest outbreaks.
• Pest management encourages natural predators to maintain a balanced system.
• Irrigation systems are run during the night where possible.
• Where practicable on new building sites, vegetation is saved to form part of the new landscaping.
• Pathways that are lifted to make way for new projects are stockpiled. These brickpaving units are then used in future projects.