Rockhampton is an acknowledged leader in using trees to 'cap' its landfill (rubbish dump), and CQU has been helping develop and gauge the success of this project.

It is Rockhampton's 5 years of experience which this week attracted Australian and American researchers to the city for a presentation of the results from the Lakes Creek Landfill 'Phytocapping' project.

CQU researchers including Associate Professor Nanjappa Ashwath, Dr Ninghu Su and Kartik Venkatraman have been monitoring the success of phytocapping in minimising landfill leachate, groundwater contamination, greenhouse emissions and odour, via a range of on-site indicators.

One of the visitors to CQU and the landfill this week was Richard Yeates, Director of PhytoLink Pty Ltd, the consultant helping to establish phytocapping trial sites in 5 Australian States as part of the Australian Alternate Covers Assessment Program (A-ACAP).

This national project has attracted $734,000 from the Australian Research Council and $900,000 from the industry.

Mr Yeates said results from the Rockhampton site "will give us strong indications for plant and soil selection for the newer sites".

He said Associate Professor Ashwath was 1 of 2 leading Australian plant scientists involved with the national research.

Among the visitors to Rockhampton this week were experts involved in establishing the USA Alternate Covers Assessment Program (ACAP) which inspired the Australian research.

Dr Bill Albright from the Desert Research Institute and Steve Rock from the US EPA - are now helping establish the Australian trials.

Mr Rock explained that the 7-year study in the United States had shown that phytocapping was often a viable alternative to other capping methods such as PVC and compacted clay.

"We are not advocates for any particular system though," he said.

"Our aim is to provide landfill owners and regulators with the information needed to choose the right system, rather than advocating any particular system".

Photo (above): CQU researchers Assoc. Prof. Nanjappa Ashwath (centre rear), Dr Ninghu Su (rear second from right) and Kartik Venkatraman (left) with city council representatives Craig Dunglison (seated left) and Nigel Tuckwood (rear second from left) and expert visitors from Australia Richard Yeates (seated centre) and the USA, Dr Bill Albright (seated right) and Mr Steve Rock (standing right).

Photo (left) Assoc. Prof. Ashwath demonstrating the success of Phytocapping trial to the Mayor Margaret Strelow and other visitors at the landfill.