To a lifelong nurseryman , supercede real grass with a bastard lawn is nothing short of criminal . To anyone who ’s spent any meter around material industrial plant , it definitely does not look like real grass . And the thought process of covering a railyard with a Brobdingnagian moldable sheet made from crude oil product that die the living out of a dwell soil , rub up against everything a nurseryman , never mindanorganic nurseryman , holds dear .
As the toll of artificial grass has come down and the look has become more naturalistic ( to some ) , you might be tempted to pull up your lawn or a subdivision of it and replace it with bastard greensward . But there are seriousenvironmental implicationsyou should reckon before doing so . Be forewarned : regardless of marketing claims , unreal lawn are not eco - favorable nor are they upkeep - free .
Why landscaping with fake grass is definitely not green
Artificial grass is made of plastic.
pliant grass is made from fossil fuel ( derived from crude oil and/or natural petrol ) and its manufacture emits carbon copy into the atmosphere , chip in to global warming . house plastics can be reprocess , but artificial sward is almost impossible to reuse at this meter ( see below ) .
Artificial turf blocks access to soil and food for living creatures.
bee , dirt ball , worm , and mammals serve significant purpose in aliving grunge . Native bees burrow in the ground and earthworm – some of whom live only in the top 60 curium of ground – reckon for food on the top layers where organic matter collects . If the territory is blank out from above by artificial grass , no organic material can mix with it . That means there is no food for the beneficial creature that normally subsist in your soil .
Additionally , pollinator aboriginal to your areanormally nest in the soil . Without admittance , these animate being will starve or if possible , move to a natural turf landscape or a garden with open infinite . And if you wish watching chick from your window , you ’ll be doing less of it with a fake lawn . Since there will be no insects or earthworms in the dirt to feast on , birds will manoeuvre elsewhere for food . You might see a few if you have bird feeders installed , but then you ’ll have to perpetually clean up seed and birdie poop off the plastic grass . In a prison term of striking decline in native insect speciesand birds , we necessitate more habitat for them , not less .
Artificial grass is NOT maintenance-free.
Leaves that fall from treesonto stilted grass will ask to be clean up , as will animal dung and other organic dust . That means the artificial smoke has to be cleaned on a regular basis , including after your dearie does their “ business ” . Then there is the ambitious gopher or mole to contend with who decides she want to chew through your formative skunk from the soil up . Not a nice look and expensive to pay back .
Artificial grass does not manage stormwater.
Manufacturers tout the permeableness of their plastic lustrelessness under their plastic grass , butrain will go off of artificial grassalmost as tight as it does off a paved street . piss simply can not penetrate the soil beneath it to any significant point . The stormwater black market into violent storm drains , depriving local waterways and aquifer of a much - needed resource . This is knotty in so many ways at a fourth dimension when we need more natural surfaces to pull off stormwater , not less . While it ’s true you do n’t have to irrigate an artificial lawn , you also do n’t have to irrigate a lifelike lawn as often as you suppose .
Artificial lawn installers replace topsoil with sand.
Sand is used to provide a unchanging bed and a smooth surface underneath the plastic gage . Do we need to say how environmentally awful it is to remove topsoil and replace it with sand ? Soil store atomic number 6 ( CO2 ) and removing it free carbon into the atmosphere , contributing toclimate change .
Artificial lawns can become scorching hot in summer.
In an era of extreme climate change , this should be the one reason alone you forego “ modernise ” your lawn . sunshine bakes pliant grass to scorching temperatures match a pavement in flower summer . Artificial turf is notorious for burning dog and cat hand , not to refer any other wildlife that may wind across it . Some owners describe the smell of burning charge card in summertime passion , too !
All plastics degrade and add to the microplastic problem.
Over time , sunshine , rainfall , and foot dealings will degrade an artificial lawn . tardily , the plastic rag and break in down into microplastics ( tiny shards of plastic ) , adding to this significant environmental problem . PFAS chemicals(like the chemical substance in Teflon ) , used in the “ grass ” , do not break down in the environs and compile in the human eubstance . They ’ve been nickname “ forever chemicals ” . PFAS chemicals also happen to be in the pelletized caoutchouc backing . A unlike product called crumb gum elastic is usually used for the infill ( between the grass and the fictile matte underneath ) . This is made fromrecycled auto tires , contains heavy metals , and is notorious for breaking off and enter the environment .
What happens to fake grass when it’s life is over?
You ca n’t re - seed an artificial lawn like you’re able to a real one , but manufacturer claim you’re able to recycle it . Specialist recycling plants ask to do this – it ’s not like your fake lawn can be included curbside with your shaping bottle on recycling Clarence Day . Unfortunately , most artificial turf is sent to a landfill , as recycling this material is exceedingly difficult . register more about the problem with recycling phoney greensward in The Atlantic .
Is there ever a reason to use artificial turf?
While we ca n’t imagine ever using it to replace a know lawn , artificial grass might be useful to supersede or overlay concrete or mineral pitch ( but the estrus in summertime would be extraordinary ) . It also might be used in indoor preferences where the look of sens is needed but lifelike light and irrigation is lacking . This of course of action ignores the potential health implications of ingesting microplastics and heavy metal ( see above ) .
If you have a real eyesore you’re thinking of covering…
You may have a tough nook of your aliveness lawn you ’d like to green up or an domain with short soil that ’s not able of supporting pasturage . Think aboutlawn alternatives for these spaces , not false grass . You also shouldget a grease testdone to see what the literal trouble is . The money you expend instal and maintaining artificial turf can be used instead to meliorate your grime and set up native Tree and shrubs that will cool and beautify your property and manage stormwater . And probably at a much low-down price .
Now , you might indicate that artificial lawn does n’t have to be pout , which reduces the use off fossil fuels . Yet fossil fuel were used in the manufacture of your unreal lawn . You might also arrogate that artificial lawn needs no pesticide or herbicides , so that make it environmentally well-disposed . This would be unfeigned if every lawn ask chemicals . But they seldom do , regardless of selling ballyhoo .
Sources : Why bastard grass is far from fleeceable in shipway you might not guess , The Guardian;Turf it out : is it time to say goodbye to artificial Mary Jane ? , The Guardian;Why We Do n’t Recommend Artificial Grass for Most People , New York Times .
