Plastic Turf FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Plastic/Artificial Turf for recreation fields or play spaces
As the County of Santa Clara considers an ordinance regarding the use of plastic turf on sports and recreation spaces, it’s important to provide clear information about this issue. The following are answers to frequently asked questions about the choice between natural grass/surfaces and plastic turf.
Q: How can we address the issue of limited playing time for athletes without plastic turf playing fields?
A => Properly installed and maintained fields with more drought and wear-tolerant grass species can rival artificial turf fields in playing time. With proper soil testing and analysis, along with proper installation and maintenance under the guidance of turfgrass experts that includes attention to the root zone, natural drainage, appropriate seed or sod selection, aeration and fertilization, natural grass playing fields can withstand much more use than our current grass fields in the County.
See a great case study from Sydney, Australia here. Additionally, with periods of extreme heat increasing, a new California law that shuts down playing fields in extreme heat, and requirements for air quality testing - playing time on plastic turf will not only need to be monitored for safety, but limited.
Q: Is plastic turf cheaper than natural grass to install and maintain?
A => No, not necessarily when it comes to playing fields. There are many hidden costs of plastic turf fields, including installation, maintenance, change orders, carpet, drainage and sprinkler system repairs, hardness testing, infill replenishment, removal, transport, disposal, and replacement expenses. The initial installation of artificial turf fields is significantly more expensive than establishing natural grass fields due to the cost of materials, specialized labor, and drainage systems. The plastic turf carpet must be replaced every 8–10 years, and the drainage base is typically replaced every 20-30 years.
This also does not account for any potential costs of removing PFAS and other contaminants from water, which is a highly expensive and resource-intensive process. Furthermore, it excludes the broader medical costs associated with health risks from exposure to turf materials, including potential injuries from harder playing surfaces, bacterial infections, heat-related injuries and illnesses due to high surface temperatures, and long-term exposure to toxic substances like microplastics and heavy metals found in the turf components.
Q: Doesn’t plastic turf save water compared to natural grass?
A => Plastic turf does not save water for two reasons. First of all, it needs to be cleaned regularly as well as watered to be cooled down on hot days. In addition, water conservation is about more than just reducing consumption. It also includes protecting our water sources from contamination like microplastic pollution, PFAS, and other toxic chemicals that pose serious risks to the safety and quality of our water supplies. When watering plastic turf, the pollutants permeate into our groundwater. Once these pollutants get into our water, it becomes extremely difficult, as well as expensive, to remove them.
Natural grass can be maintained organically, allowing water to absorb into the Earth and helping to refill our precious groundwater aquifers. Moreover, natural grass can be watered with recycled water, whereas some artificial turf companies’ warranties require their turf fields to be cleaned or cooled with potable (drinking-quality) water. In addition, the production of plastic uses a large amount of water, and plastic turf fields must typically be replaced every 8-12 years. Although plastic turf was once hailed as a great drought solution, the State of California no longer considers it “drought-tolerant landscaping,” after SB 676 was passed in 2023.
Q: Can plastic turf be fully recycled?
A => Not necessarily. At this time, there are very few facilities nationwide that claim they can recycle only portions of this product, due to the high costs and difficulty resulting from various components of plastic turf that need to be dismantled and recycled separately. Thus, plastic turf typically ends up in landfill where it can take up to 500 years to decompose, increasing pollution and damage to the environment and human health. Some plastic turf is sent to facilities to be “chemically recycled,” sending toxic chemicals into nearby neighborhoods. The State of California does not consider chemical recycling to be a form of recycling. Also, in various cases across the country, including in our own county, rolls of used plastic turf have been found stored on properties where they continue to contaminate the environment and groundwater.
Q: Does PFAS-free turf solve the health concerns around plastic turf?
A => According to a letter from the Synthetic Turf Council, currently there is no plastic turf product that is completely free of PFAS. Many manufacturers that label their turf as PFAS-free actually mean the product has “low levels” of PFAS or is free of “intentionally-added” PFAS. Tests of “PFAS-free” turfs show that PFAS are still found in the plastic blades due to how the plastic turf is made.
Read about PFAS more here: PFAS411.org
Q: Why should I care about health risks from artificial turf when so many other more commonly used products have similar health risks?
A => Many products do contain PFAS, such as furniture, clothing, cosmetics, hygiene products, and even nonstick cookware, but it is important to limit exposure to PFAS from all sources, especially since the U.S. EPA passed a new PFAS national drinking water regulation as part of their PFAS Strategic Roadmap. This regulation sets enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels in drinking water for various types of PFAS chemicals. For PFOS, which are often found in plastic turf materials, the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (a non-enforceable health-based goal) is zero. The State Legislature has banned regulated PFAS in a number of products (AB 347 and AB 2515) and is considering broader restrictions.
Plastic turf also contains other chemicals and microplastics linked to cancers, reproductive and developmental harm, impaired immunity, learning disabilities and other harmful health impacts.
Additionally, like asphalt, artificial turf fields contribute to the “heat island effect”, in which communities close to the fields become hotter than surrounding areas. Plastic turf surface temperatures can get 40-70 degrees higher than natural grass and have been measured as high as 200℉ on a summer day. High heat can lead to health risks including skin burns, dehydration, and heat illness.
Q: Where else has plastic turf been prohibited?
A => All over! Various agencies, legislative bodies, organizations, leagues, and groups all across America are rejecting plastic turf.
★ The cities of Millbrae, CA and San Marino, CA and have ordinances prohibiting plastic turf.
★ Multiple cities in Massachusetts, including Wayland, Sharon, and Concord, have banned or issued moratoriums on any new plastic turf installation. In early 2024, Cape May, New Jersey moved to end the use of artificial turf as an alternative to natural landscaping.
★ In 2024, the state of Colorado banned the installation of “nonfunctional” plastic turf, such as turf used for landscaping.
★ Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont have passed laws regarding plastic turf, including PFAS regulations, disposal guidelines, and product disclosures.
★ The U.S. women's national soccer team filed a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, in which part of the settlement was that they will no longer have to play matches on plastic turf.
★ The highest level of men’s professional soccer in the Netherlands has opted to outlaw plastic turf fields by the start of the 2025-26 season.
★ The European Union in September 2023 enacted a ban on the sale of products containing intentionally added microplastics, and this ban specifically included granular artificial turf infill.