Kareela Oval

Synthetic turf recycling at scale

RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – Aerial view of a large, mostly empty concrete car park near Kareela Oval, with patches of greenery and equipment, surrounded by trees, grass fields, and a road lined with houses on the left side.
Client:Sutherland Shire Council, NSW
Delivery Partner:Polytan
Project:Kareela
SECTOR: Soccer
ABOUT THE PROJECT

One of Sydney’s Busiest Sports Precincts

Kareela Oval is the centrepiece of a major sporting precinct in Sydney’s south, hosting some of the most heavily used community fields in the region.

Owned by Sutherland Shire Council, the venue supports constant weekly training, matches, and community activity – meaning downtime, access constraints, and environmental scrutiny were all critical considerations.

RE4ORM delivered Australia’s largest single turf recycling project to date while preserving critical infrastructure and meeting an immovable deadline, recycling 799 tonnes in just over two weeks.

17,890m²

of synthetic turf uplifted

799t

of material recovered

22

truck movements
(3 semis + 19 B-doubles)

~298t

CO₂e avoided through recycling

The Challenge

This project wasn’t just large - it was operationally complex

  • Australia’s largest turf recycling project to date – two full size football fields
  • Extremely tight timeframe (just over two weeks, no weekend work or overtime permitted)
  • Restricted truck access due to site constraints
  • Small daily truck loading window – all loading done by 3pm to allow for traffic from afternoon sports
  • Daily hard stop at 5pm due to ongoing training on adjacent fields
  • Critical requirement to preserve the shock pad and drainage system for reuse
  • Unexpected legacy installation issues, including turf joins glued directly to the shock pad
RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – Two workers operate a red machine to roll up artificial turf at Kareela Oval, with football goals and green grass visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
The Solution

RE4ORM delivered a custom end-to-end uplift, transport, and recycling solution designed around site constraints

Despite extreme heat and dry conditions (which dramatically increase sand loss during uplift), the team successfully recovered and processed the material at scale.
RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – A simple black outline of a five-pointed star on a white background, reminiscent of the clean designs often seen at Kareela Oval.

Bespoke uplift strategy

Bespoke uplift strategy to protect shock pad and drainage cells.

RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – A simple black outline of a shield with a tick in the centre, symbolising security or protection—perfect for illustrating how we do it when ensuring safety and trust.

Precise machinery selection

Precise machinery selection to minimise substrate disturbance.

RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – A hand-drawn black circular arrow, reminiscent of the energy at Kareela Oval sports ground, with two arrowheads—one at the top right curving down and one at the bottom left curving up—forms a continuous loop on a white background.

Closed-loop transport system

Closed-loop transport system to prevent infill loss in dry conditions.

RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – A simple line drawing of a factory with a gear-like roof and a rectangular door, featuring a circular arrow symbol on the building—much like how Kareela Oval is central to Kareela’s cycle of activity as a vibrant local sports ground.

Real-time logistics coordination

Real-time logistics coordination to meet daily access windows.

RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – A simple black and white icon of a document with a folded top-right corner and a tick in the centre, symbolising approval or completion, perfect for marking tasks done at Kareela Oval.

On-site problem solving

On-site problem solving to manage legacy glue contamination without halting progress.

RE4ORM synthetic turf recycling – A man wearing sunglasses and a coral T-shirt smiles at the camera with Kareela Oval and ocean waves in the background on a sunny day.
Marco di Benedetto
Site Manager, Polytan Asia Pacific
RE4ORM could not have done a better job, performing the above listed tasks in a professional, punctual manner. Using the right equipment and trained personnel, minimal damage was created to the Shock pad and drainage layers of the existing fields – some damage is always expected – which made Polytan’s work a lot easier.
Got an End-of-Life Field Coming Up?

If you’re managing a large-scale turf replacement and need a proven alternative to landfill, RE4ORM delivers recycling that works even on the most complex sites.

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