What do people do with discarded artificial grass?

Artificial grass is popular all over the world. However, one thing that few people pay attention to is how to handle damaged grass, all land so as not to harm the environment?

Meanwhile, one of the components of the artificial grass is the tiny pieces of rubber that can last for hundreds of years, can limit the growth of plants, reduce the fertility of the soil. .

Artificial turf in a stadium in the US - (Image: GETTY IMAGES)

Manufacturers also "dodge"

About 30 years ago, the United States had a headache with the method of recycling used tires with millions of cars in the wild, even in remote places like canyons, deep pools, forests.

At this time, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began research on recycling of used tires.

A new and emerging potential is to crush the tires into artificial grass, thereby creating a revolution for sport activities around the world.

With the advantages of not consuming pesticides, fertilizer or daily pruning; Long time use (average from 8-10 years), today artificial grass is widely used in many places, including Vietnam, not only for sports activities but also for decoration or making "home". "for pets.

Used artificial lawns in Franklin, Massachusetts - (Photo: BOSTONGLOBE).

According to the American Artificial Grass Association, the number of artificial turf pitches in the country is currently around 12,000-13,000, with an increase of 1,200-1,500 new pitches each year. And every year 750 yards need to be replaced with artificial turf, costing about 330 million pounds.

With so many numbers, the recycling of artificial grass is a difficult problem. According to The Atlantic , all seven of the largest artificial turf producers in the United States, when questioned by the research team about how to handle damaged grass, declined to respond.

Can only . throw away

Removed artificial lawns can harm the ecosystem - (Image: DENNIS ANDERSEN)

Currently, the only way to treat artificial grass is . throw away.

In July 2018, people in Montgomery County (Albama, USA) discovered a local garbage truck dumping old artificial lawns at a park more than 70km away.

A year later, the park is filled with old artificial grass and tiny rubber pieces scattered around the trees.

In Franklin, Massachusetts, the artificial turf collection site near the swampy area, which is also the town's water source, raises health concerns in the area.

Meanwhile, California currently accounts for about 10% of the artificial turf in the US. Despite being one of the pioneers in recycling campaigns, California is also struggling with what to do with the discarded artificial turf.

Small pieces of rubber are difficult to decompose in artificial grass - (Photo: BONSTONGLOBE)

According to research by FairWarning, this type of waste is likely to exist for hundreds of years. When spilled on the soil, tiny pieces of rubber in the artificial turf can limit crop growth, reducing soil fertility.

Currently, one of the ways to handle artificial grass is to separate the components in them (plastic, sand, gravel .) and recycle each type. However, this sorting process is very expensive and it is still unknown what to use these crushed rubber pieces for.

Artificial waste in Maryland, USA - (Photo: AMANDA FARBER)

Dennis Andersen, director of recycling company Re-Match in Denmark, said the group is building a special factory that can recycle artificial grass into a useful material. According to Andersen, this approach can recycle up to 99% of this waste, but it has not been disclosed for business reasons.

Meanwhile, Mary Lehman, a member of the Maryland legislative council, said she was campaigning to include artificial grass management in the state's environmental law provisions, emphasizing the task of treating waste. after this is no longer in use.

Mary Lehman said that responsibility could be given to manufacturers. "There is no one who is responsible for this," said Mary Lehman.