Why Synthetic Lawns?

Synthetic Turf Installed in North America Conserves More Than Three Billion Gallons of Water, Eliminates Nearly a Billion Pounds of Pesticides and Fertilizers, and Recycles More Than 105 Million Used Tires.

Schools, parks, businesses, municipalities, homeowners, golf courses and others using synthetic turf can receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits for Water Efficient Landscaping from the U.S. Green Building Council. Many synthetic turf companies that also offer synthetic lawn repairs in Florida have also created products that are 100% recyclable. ‘Green’ options also exist for recycling, reusing and disposing of infill and the synthetic turf itself. The industry is working hard to develop further eco-friendly end-of-life disposal solutions.

Conserves over three billion gallons of water.

Water is one of our most precious resources. More than 6,000 synthetic turf fields are currently being used in the United States, with each full-sized field saving between 500,000 and 1,000,000 gallons of water each year.

During 2010, that meant at least three billion gallons of water, and perhaps as much as six billion or more was saved through the use of synthetic turf fields.

Eliminates the need to water lawns.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over one-third of residential water is used for lawn irrigation nationwide, totaling more than 4 billion gallons of water a day. The Southern Nevada Water Authority also estimates that every square foot of grass replaced with synthetic turf saves an additional 55 gallons of water per year. Therefore, an average lawn of 1,800 square feet will save 99,000 gallons of water a year if landscaped with synthetic turf – about 70% of a homeowner’s water bill, or up to $500.

Eradicates the use of almost a billion pounds of pesticides and fertilizers.

The EPA has identified runoff of toxic pesticides and fertilizers as a principal cause of water pollution. In Florida alone, the EPA estimates that about 1,000 miles of rivers and streams, 350,000 acres of lakes, and 900 square miles of estuaries are impaired by runoff of pesticides and fertilizers. Synthetic turf eliminates the need for nearly a billion pounds of harmful pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides, and herbicides that are used to maintain grass.

Depending on field usage, synthetic turf can lower the consumption of energy, raw materials, and solid waste generation.

BASF Corporation performed an Eco-Efficiency Analysis measuring the environmental and economic impacts of synthetic turf athletic fields with professionally installed and maintained grass alternatives. According to BASF, among the major findings of the study was that the average life cycle costs over 20 years of a natural grass field are 15 per cent higher than the synthetic turf alternatives, even when factoring in a replacement synthetic turf field during that time. Released in November 2010, the life cycle assessment found that with typical field usage, synthetic turf had lower consumption of energy, raw materials, and solid waste generation than natural grass fields.

BASF’s eco-efficiency analysis is an award-winning and strategic tool based on the ISO 14040 standard for lifecycle analysis, which quantifies the sustainability of products or processes.