![]() ![]() Recycling synthetic turfįollowing the restrictions on exporting plastic waste, Australian artificial grass manufacturer Tuff Turf has partnered with Sustainability Victoria to build a recycling plant at Barnawartha, near the Victoria-NSW border. It was also aiming to plant more trees to reduce the heat island effect. Sometimes sprinkler systems are needed to cool the surface, which in part defeats the water savings associated with artificial turf.Ī spokesperson for Sydney’s Inner West council, which has four synthetic fields, says it uses an organic infill to help reduce the heat during hot weather. ![]() His research has shown that synthetic turf in playgrounds can heat up to temperatures greater than 80C, even when the ambient temperature is less than 30C. “We have measures in place to prevent any environmental impact of these synthetic surfaces, such as using cork infill instead of rubber and ensuring old synthetic turfs are responsibly recycled at the end of their lifespan”. “These new surfaces are more resilient and unlike natural turf, they do not require returfing or weed control and can still be used in wet weather – meaning more play time,” Hein says. Six of these are synthetic and allow almost double the playing time of natural grass. Northern Beaches council manages 127 sports fields. “All councils in Sydney face increasing demand for more sports fields to meet the needs of growing participation in sport,” Sue Heins, the mayor of the Northern Beaches, says. One of the big drivers of increasing installation of artificial turf is population density and increased demands on sporting grounds. “The amount of turf fibres lost from a synthetic turf field is likely to be in the hundreds of kilograms per year, with the amount increasing for fields near the end of life or under poor maintenance.” Active kids v liveable cities Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup “Expert advice to the review estimated that a synthetic turf field without structures to reduce infill loss will wash tens to hundreds of kilograms of infill per year into stormwater systems or waterways,” the report states. But the chief scientist says there is insufficient information and a lack of standards about the materials and chemical composition of the synthetic turf itself. ![]() The SBR crumb is the material most associated with community concerns about contamination. Most synthetic sports fields in NSW feature long synthetic blades supported by infill the most commonly used infill is styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) crumbs sourced from recycled tyres. The main concern was potential plastic pollution. ![]() It estimated there were now 181 playing fields using artificial turf in NSW, up from 24 in 2014. In June this year, the NSW government finally released a report by the chief scientist, Hugh Durrant-Whyte, that concluded there were significant environmental impacts from artificial turf but stopped short of recommending a ban. They say NSW should employ precautionary principles, warning little is known about the long-term impacts of the microplastics and chemicals that it could shed – including forever chemicals perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS chemicals. The Alliance for Natural Turf – 16 community groups concerned about artificial turf – has asked the NSW government for a 5-year moratorium on rolling out the product. The challenges of what to do with worn-out artificial turf, combined with growing concern about microplastics and the likelihood of more extreme weather events, make for a complex debate about its use in Australia. The rolls of old turf sitting by the side of the oval. ![]()
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