Turf is already piling up on the sides of roads and being stored on private properties throughout the US because there are so few recycling facilities and it is prohibitively expensive to ship them. Without any rules or oversight, disposed turf becomes the burden and responsibility of anyone who lives around it. Photo by CAMERON CLARK, YORK PA DAILY RECORD
January 2021 Groton’s Athletic Fields Task Force (AFTF) will soon be bringing to a close its investigation into Groton’s need for athletic fields and reported on January 12th to the Town Council on its findings. For GCA, there is no question that Groton’s 60-year old school sports infrastructure needs a complete overhaul; the question is, what kind of fields should Groton build in response to the increased demand from our school and community sports teams for playing fields?
The Task Force is recommending that the town build several synthetic turf (ST) fields in lieu of natural or grass fields. Approximately six ST fields are being proposed out of the 12 fields identified as needed. The Groton Middle School already has one ST field for a total of seven. Synthetic fields have proliferated around the country because they enable more playing time on the fields and year-round use rather than seasonal activity. But these fields come at a considerable cost.
GCA worked for over a year to secure passage of Ordinance #293 to Ban Single-Use Plastics in the Town of Groton. The fact that Groton is now contemplating covering acres of land with non-recyclable and potentially harmful plastic is disturbing. We do not oppose building the new fields that the town needs; we do support building new or renovating existing natural grass fields rather than synthetic turf because independent research shows that grass fields are safer and healthier for of our athletes and our environment.
GRASS VS. SYNTHETIC TURF SUMMARY Sources: Safe Healthy Playing Fields, Inc., TURI cost analysis survey, Environment and Human Health, and Sports Turf Managers Association
Costs: Grass Vs. Synthetic Turf ST costs more to install, almost as much to maintain, and has to be replaced once it wears out after 8 to 10 years. The worn-out fields cannot be recycled anywhere in the US, which creates more environmental problems and costs. According to the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute in September 2016, “in nearly all scenarios, the full life-cycle cost of natural turf is lower than the life-cycle cost of a ST field for an equivalent area.”
Maintenance: Grass vs. Synthetic Turf Annual maintenance- similar; long-term maintenance- far more required for ST
Toxicity to People, Kids & Environment Research on health and environmental effects of ST has focused mostly on the potential effects of crumb rubber, the most commonly used infill ingredient in ST. Communities are moving away from crumb rubber to alternative substances such as coconut and cork fibers and ground olive pits because research shows that aging crumb rubber releases many toxic substances into the atmosphere and water systems, endangering children and the environment. We understand that Groton used an alternative infill, “corkonut,” or cork and coconut, in its first ST field at the Groton Middle School. This infill is a welcome improvement over crumb rubber, but studies of alternative infills are not available yet. Over time, corkonut is known to turn to dust, blow away and float readily during storm events, fouling waterways with suspended solids and nutrients. Any binders/adhesives and biocides/antifungals used on the field will also end up in our waterways.
Injuries/Player Preference: Professional soccer and football players overwhelmingly prefer grass fields. An August 2019 sports medicine article found that high school athletes were “58 percent more likely to sustain an injury during athletic activity on artificial turf. Injury rates were significantly higher for football, girls and boys soccer, and rugby athletes. Lower extremity, upper extremity, and torso injuries were also found to occur with a higher incidence on artificial turf.”
Heat: Synthetic grass increases turf heat up to 60 degrees in the summer; natural grass reduces heat.
What do the sports experts think about natural grass vs synthetic turf? Sports Turf Managers Association: “The environmental and human health benefits alone make natural grass fields a desirable option when considering keeping or building a high school athletic field. The cost effectiveness of construction and annual maintenance only add to their appeal. It is important to have a complete understanding of the costs and benefits associated with both natural and synthetic surfaces when considering converting from natural grass to a synthetic surface. Oftentimes many of the benefits of natural grass systems are overlooked because of strong arguments and marketing efforts of synthetic turf companies.” Quote excerpted from an article titled Natural Grass Athletic Fields from STMA, the non-profit, professional association for the men and women who manage outdoor sports fields worldwide.
February 5, 2024 UPDATE Replacement Cost Triples for Artificial Turf in Stonington
Town no longer funding $1 million expense. By Carrie Czerwinski, The Day
“After 10 years of wear and tear, taxpayers will be footing the bill for far more than they anticipated to replace artificial turf on the high school football field.” Click HERE for the full article.
October 19, 2023 UPDATE Once hailed as a drought fix, California moves to restrict synthetic turf over health concerns. By Shreya Agrawal, October 18, 2023
“Emerging research is making it clear that artificial turf poses an environmental threat due to its lack of recyclability and presence of toxins such as lead and PFAS,” said California Sen. Ben Allen, the Redondo Beach Democrat who authored the bill. Click HERE for the full article.
September 20, 2023, UPDATE More on synthetic turf injuries!
NFL players union renews call for grass fields after Aaron Rodgers’ injury . “Yes, NFL players prefer playing on natural grass. It’s why the NFL Players Association called on the league Wednesday to switch all fields to grass in what executive director Lloyd Howell said was “the easiest decision the NFL can make.” Click HERE or on the link above to read the full article.
September 13, 2023, UPDATE Another article on synthetic turf — NFL addresses ongoing turf debate, rekindled player outrage after Aaron Rodgers injury— came out in a publication titled The Athletic. The injury “refueled a debate over playing surfaces across the league. After Rodgers tore his Achilles against the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football,” some of his former teammates shared strong anti-turf sentiments on social media.” Click here to read more.
September 1, 2023, UPDATE An interesting article, first published in NewScientist, was made available to the public by The Cool Down on August 26, 2023. The article is titled Scientists make jarring discovery while analyzing coastal waters: ‘We were really surprised that nobody had reported this before’. In brief, researchers at the University of Barcelona recently discovered, after seven years of analyzing plastics found off Barcelona’s coast, that as artificial turf breaks down over time, high concentrations of turf fibers from artificial turf made their way into the soil and waterways, contributing significantly to plastic pollution.
Ocean plastics threaten animals and ecosystems. For example, birds, whales, fish, and turtles mistake plastic for prey. Their stomachs can become lined with it, causing them to starve. They may also suffer from infections, cuts, internal injuries, and reduced swimming abilities according to the International Union of Concerned Scientists.
Artificial turf reaches higher temperatures than natural grass. It absorbs significantly more radiation than living vegetation, thereby potentially contributing to the warming of the planet. Read the whole article by clicking on the title link above.
July 9, 2021 UPDATE The New York Times did a study of synthetic turf in order to recommend to homeowners the best turf options available in the United States…. As their research progressed, however, they realized they “had serious reservations—synthetic turf can be a bad value over the long term, there are serious environmental problems to consider, and the costs to install and maintain any sizable, well-done installation proved so high that we concluded we’d be better off investing the money and effort in just about any other form of landscaping.” Click here to read the whole article.
Feb. 5, 2021, UPDATE On Feb. 2, 2021, GCA presented a robust PowerPoint slide show to the Town Council in response to the Athletic Field Task Force preliminary presentation to the Town Council a month earlier which recommended that five new synthetic turf fields be built in Groton. Click on the button below to see our PowerPoint presentation on the serious problems of synthetic turf and the advantages of organically managed natural grass fields. In the interest of sustainability, we hope our town will ensure that everyone, children and adults alike, will be playing on the safest and most environmentally-friendly fields possible. Please read our Letter to the Town Council below for more information.