Synthetic turf, or astroturf, comes with a slew of significant environmental and health risks. The Northern Beaches council needs to stop the roll out of synthetic turf to replace natural grass in parks and playing fields.  

Synthetic turf, often used on sports fields, is increasingly criticised for its poor environmental impact. Synthetic turf is made from plastic that degrades and releases microplastics into the environment, even when cork underfill is used instead of rubber tyre crumb. This runoff poses a significant threat to the plants, wildlife, land and waters of the Northern Beaches. When synthetic turf requires replacement, the discarded turf will not break down in landfill and the material is very difficult to recycle.

Synthetic turf fields also tend to heat up significantly more than natural grass, reaching 70 degrees even on days when the temperature is less than 30 degrees. This increases the risk of heat-related illnesses. The infill also contains harmful chemicals that leach into the environment and pose risks to the people playing on these unnatural surfaces.  

Natural turf also saves councils money. The Western Australia Department of Sport and Recreation has found that the 25-year lifecycle cost of a cricket oval to be three times more expensive when using synthetic turf. Natural grass costs $1,622,167 whereas synthetic turf costs $4,090,000 because synthetic playing fields need periodic replacement, whereas well-laid natural grass does not (based on initial capital cost of $358,000 for natural and $1,565,000 for synthetic).

The Northern Beaches Council should take proactive steps to protect its community and natural surroundings by banning synthetic turf and instead promoting natural, sustainable alternatives that preserve the region’s ecological balance and public health.

We’re calling on the Northern Beaches Council to: 

• commit to only installing natural grass on our public parks and ovals 
• replace all worn-out synthetic turf with natural grass 

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