Artificial grass, also known as synthetic turf, is a landscape material designed to mimic natural grass while requiring minimal maintenance. Assessing whether this product is good for the environment involves balancing trade-offs across its entire lifespan. While it offers clear benefits in water conservation, these are weighed against environmental liabilities created during manufacturing, operation, and disposal. A complete assessment requires looking at the product from its petroleum-based origin to its non-biodegradable end-of-life.
The Environmental Cost of Production and Raw Materials
The production of artificial turf relies on non-renewable fossil fuels. The synthetic fibers are primarily made from petroleum-based plastics like polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon. Manufacturing these materials is a highly energy-intensive process that requires significant heat and chemical treatment, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions.
Producing enough artificial grass to cover a 60-square-meter lawn is estimated to generate approximately 435 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. Natural grass bypasses this initial embodied energy, growing naturally with sunlight and water. The carbon footprint is further increased by the global transportation of raw materials and the finished product.
The turf system also requires infill materials, often consisting of crumb rubber made from recycled car tires. While this repurposes waste tires, the rubber contains various chemical compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals. The use of this material introduces the potential for chemical leaching and microplastic shedding into the environment over time.
Operational Trade-offs: Water Conservation Versus Energy Use
The primary environmental advantage of synthetic turf is its ability to reduce water consumption. A typical natural grass lawn requires constant irrigation, but artificial grass eliminates this need, potentially saving tens of thousands of gallons of water annually per home. For a full-sized sports field, the estimated savings can range from 500,000 to 1 million gallons of water each year compared to natural grass.
This water conservation is balanced against energy costs incurred during the product’s lifespan. Artificial turf requires periodic maintenance, which includes power-intensive activities like brushing, vacuuming, and blowing to keep the fibers upright and remove debris.
A significant trade-off arises from the heat retention properties of the synthetic materials. Artificial turf surfaces can become significantly hotter than natural grass, sometimes measuring 20 to 30 degrees Celsius higher than ambient air temperature. In extreme conditions, surface temperatures can exceed 80 degrees Celsius, making the surface unsafe for use. To mitigate this, the turf must be cooled by hosing it down, a process that requires substantial amounts of water and energy to pump, completely negating the water savings for a short period.
Ecological Consequences: Soil Health and Local Biodiversity
Replacing a living system with an impermeable plastic one results in a loss of ecological function. Natural soil acts as a carbon sink, sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide, a process halted when covered by synthetic turf. The underlying soil also loses the habitat and nutrient exchange provided by local microorganisms, insects, and earthworms vital for a healthy ecosystem.
The synthetic surface also contributes to the urban heat island effect, where developed areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding natural areas. The dark, non-evaporating plastic absorbs and radiates heat, raising the ambient temperature locally and potentially increasing the demand for air conditioning, which consumes more energy. This heat also contributes to the degradation of the plastic, leading to the shedding of microplastics that can enter waterways through stormwater runoff.
The turf’s composition creates a non-porous barrier, impeding the natural infiltration of rainwater into the ground. Although many installations include drainage systems, the natural filtration and groundwater recharge that occur with living soil are lost. This can exacerbate localized flooding and prevent the replenishment of local water tables.
End-of-Life Disposal and Waste Management
The final environmental problem arises when the turf reaches the end of its functional life, typically after 10 to 25 years of use. Artificial turf is not biodegradable and, due to its composite structure, is extremely challenging to recycle.
The product is a complex mix of different plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene), a backing material (latex or polyurethane), and infill (crumb rubber, sand). Separating these materials is technically difficult and expensive because the different polymers have different melting points. Consequently, the vast majority of used artificial turf, estimated to be millions of tons of material, ends up in landfills. This non-biodegradable waste presents a significant long-term liability, compounding the initial environmental cost of production.
Specialized recycling facilities do exist, mainly in Europe, but these are not widespread. Without a robust and economically viable recycling infrastructure, the synthetic materials extracted from fossil fuels will remain in the environment as waste for centuries.