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Opinion: ditch the turf field, let’s go with sand

I must confess that I am not a fan of artificial turf (AT). It is plastic and we are already making a mess of our planet by over-consuming this stuff and chucking it about without a care.
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I must confess that I am not a fan of artificial turf (AT). It is plastic and we are already making a mess of our planet by over-consuming this stuff and chucking it about without a care. Our plastic recycling systems are a sham for the most part and only a small fraction of the plastics that make it into the recycling stream actually get made into something useful. The majority gets burned or landfilled as a recent CBC Marketplace expose revealed. This does not include the millions of tons of plastic that does not get into the recycling stream and artificial turf is part of that category.

Artificial turf play fields are subject to a lot of vigorous play, which is what we expect and design for, but this results in the plastic fibers breaking down at a rate of between five to 10 per cent per year. Even with moderate use, 50 per cent of the AT will disappear into the environment after 10 years. This does not include the infill material which helps to hold the fiber erect.

The big scary issue with AT is microplastics that are shed from the field onto the players’ clothing and when it rains the fibers are washed into our streams and ultimately the ocean. University students in Japan demonstrated this when they found green plastic fibers in the ocean close to their home and traced it back to local soccer fields. 

Closer to Bowen, a school in Oak Bay had their AT field replaced after three years when significant microplastic pollution from the field was discovered in adjacent streams. The installation company responsible for the project says they had never seen this before.

This problem is being addressed in Europe where they have developed filtration systems to collect the plastic and infill but obviously a portion will still remain that is impossible to account for.

Then there’s the infill, which could be coconut fibers and this is what BICS play field is currently using. This is a safe and natural material but according to muni’s spec sheet, this is not desirable for a number of reasons. The most common infill is recycled crumb rubber, which is basically ground-up tires and contains lead and other heavy metals. Vancouver health says it is safe enough for kids to play on but it still accumulates in the environment and affects the health of our ecosystems. The other types of infill are made of different types of plastic and they are, well, plastic. 

There is an alternative but it requires a complete re-think of what we are trying to achieve. 

We want our kids to play and develop physical skills and confidence but maybe we can also inspire some awareness of the environment at the same time. Sand Court or Beach soccer is that solution. It is recognized and regulated by FIFA and was put forward as a potential Olympic sport. It is very similar to regular soccer in the same way that Beach volleyball is similar to traditional volleyball. Beach tennis is also a new sport that is growing quickly and can be played on the same field. The difference here is the low carbon footprint. It is non-polluting, low-maintenance and sustainable. It’s just different but the goals remain the same. Kids play. The cost of building the field is less and we don’t have to throw it away every 10 years.

The AT installation companies quotation only mentions disposal, not recycling. Recycling The AT is possible but my online inquiries indicate that it has to be trucked to Tennessee where it will be turned into plastic fence posts and skirting boards.

So we need to have a hard look at what we are doing here. Are we going to throw the plastic turf field away every 10 years or are we going to think outside the box and learn some new sports?

Greta is waiting.