By Tan Hui Yee
Correspondent
tanhy@sph.com.sg

 

OF LATE, I cannot help looking down whenever I head outdoors.

It’s hard not to, after doing weeks of research on Singapore’s landscape industry and learning about unscrupulous contractors who try to cheat on their soil mixture by mixing in wood chips instead of proper compost.

The rotting wood chips eventually damage the plants and cause millipedes to multiply.

But such pollution is hard to spot, as the questionable material is often covered by a layer of the good stuff.

So I have been turning my attention to mulch instead.

WHAT IS MULCH?

Mulch is the layer of organic material spread on top of soil beneath a sapling so that it would stand a fighting chance against marauding weeds.

It also helps retain moisture in the soil.

In Singapore, wood chips made from ground horticulture waste like branches and leaves is commonly used as mulch.

According to standards set by the National Parks Board’s Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, mulch is “any friable organic product such as wood chips, oil palm shells, composts etc (excluding polymers that do degrade, such as plastics, rubber and coatings) that is suitable for placing on soil surfaces”.

But there are allegations that industrial wood like that used for furniture or pallets, is now making its way into the mixture to save costs.

If true, it could have deleterious effects on the environment because of the chemicals present in the wood.

I didn’t know quite what to make of the allegations - which seemed rather far-fetched - until I stumbled onto a questionable pile one day on the grounds of some recently upgraded public housing blocks.

The thick, black piles of wood chips at the base of newly planted saplings looked normal, until I walked closer and noticed thumb-sized specks of white distributed evenly in the mix.

Intrigued, I reached in and pulled one out. It turned out to be a splint of painted wood.

I turned to the landscaper beside me. “What’s this?” I asked.

“Oh, it could have come from the lorry we used to transport the mulch,” he said. “Or maybe the workers who were upgrading the blocks threw the paint here.”

QUESTIONABLE

I tried to give him the benefit of doubt, until a tip-off led me to another questionable mulch sighting.

This time, they were located on a planting bed next to a newly widened section of the Central Expressway. The mulch contained not only painted wood, but shredded paper and even sweet wrappers.

It was reason enough to check with the National Parks Board, which looks after streetside greenery.

After its own inspection, NParks said: “We found flecks of old paint splattered on the mulch. There was also some construction debris near our tree beds.”

It surmised that “this may have been from painting work nearby at the CTE”.

But it added: “We have instructed our contractors to replace the mulch, and informed the CTE construction workers to exercise more care. We will also carry out regular inspections until turfing is carried out at the site.”

In other words, the mulch was bad enough for NParks to have it removed.

But the question remains as to whether the painted wood was intentionally added to the mulch by contractors hoping to save money.

Or was it a result of littering?

I don’t know for sure, but I know I will continue looking closely at planting beds.

In fact, I invite you to do the same and contact me - or NParks at 1800-471 7300 - if you spot something suspicious.

Grass and soil may not seem like a big deal, but it doesn’t make sense to talk about saving the environment when we don’t even know what is going on beneath our feet.

tanhy@sph.com.sg