The average 18 hole golf course occupies 150 acres. The Rain Trap System is installed in fairways and portions of the rough to cover 88 acres and will consume 1,231,166 tires per golf course.
America discards 250 million scrap tires each year. 40% are reused, retreaded, used as fuel or used in asphalt roadways. The other 60% must be stockpiled or landfilled. These 150 million tires are a costly national waste management problem.
In 1993 alone, America built 354 new golf courses. If the Rain Trap System is installed in only 122 courses (34% of new courses), we will use up every available scrap tire in America in a useful and environmentally friendly way.
As a product, the Rain Trap System has value as a means to reduce irrigation costs and fertilizer consumption. It also has the inherent environmental advantage of reducing groundwater contamination. By recycling scrap tires, we obtain a cost free, virtually indestructible construction material.
Most states are now regulating that scrap tires be shredded or chopped before landfilling. This cost of tire disposal is comparable to our cost of slitting and planting. Depending on local tire disposal costs, the Rain Trap System can be installed with economic advantage to the developer and/or municipalities.