Plastic not so fantastic when it comes to our lawns
Vic Sutton couldn’t face the idea of looking out onto ‘‘green plastic’’ daily. With patchy grass in summer and boggy sections in winter, the Suttons wanted their young children to make good use of their backyard year-round.
A choice often based on practicality, they considered artificial turf as a possible solution to these problems.
In the end, the Suttons bucked the growing trend towards artificial grass and went au naturel – their decision primarily an environmental one.
‘‘I felt it would be adding to the amount of unnecessary plastic in the world at a time when we are trying to reduce it,’’ Sutton said.
‘‘I wanted the kids to be exposed to real grass when they were outside and, after reading an article about kids needing to be exposed to soil to help build their immune systems, we decided to stick with our patchy, muddy real grass.’’
More New Zealand companies are importing products offering a wider variety at a lower cost. Director of landscaping company Humphrey’s Landscaping, Scott Humphreys, said the spread of artificial turf will continue to grow, but he doesn’t see it as a great option. ‘‘It’s still a plastic product. The hidden side of fake grass is the preparations underground which see base rock in place of organic soils which would be used under a real lawn. It’s hard to see insects or bees benefiting from plastic in their environment,’’ he said.
‘‘When we consider functionality of landscape spaces, we find there are better products suited in a good landscape to cater for sun and shade.
‘‘Fake grass has a tendency to get very hot if in a sunny space and starts growing moss if used in a shaded area.’’
Some growth in the use of artificial turf, particularly in Auckland, can be attributed to the changes made with the city’s Unitary Plan.
If the fake grass is permeable it can be used without resource consent. However, it can’t cover more than 50 per cent of the landscaped area within residential zones.
Auckland Council said it is looking into local and international research on artificial turf.
Across the ditch, the Western Australian Government has done a fair bit of leg work and has a link on its website into the broader environmental considerations of artificial turf.
These include comparing the carbon footprint of natural grass and synthetic turf for the life cycle of the product, the habitats and ability of natural grass to break down pollutants, the noise, glare and heat dissipation offered, and its disposal.
Back here, many Kiwi synthetic turf companies promote their products as being an environmentally friendly alternative to natural grass. Ecological benefits stated include conserving water, no need for mowing therefore no need to use fossil fuels, pesticides or herbicides.
Gareth Tipene, owner of synthetic turf company Eco Lawn, said while he doesn’t think fake grass is more environmentally friendly, it’s not ‘‘any worse’’ than natural lawn.
‘‘You may need to buy two
lawnmowers over a 10-year period which is the guarantee period of most of our artificial grass products. Lawnmowers are made of plastic, rubber, steel etc, and it all goes to landfill as well.
‘‘It’s hard to say, but the carbon footprint may end up very similar between a living lawn and artificial when you consider these points.
‘‘A small artificial lawn might take up the same volume of landfill space as a lawnmower.
‘‘A large artificial lawn will take up more landfill space but a large living lawn will require a lot more petrol to be consumed by a mower to mow the lawn,’’ he said.
However, Humphreys points out nothing in your outdoors is maintenance free and ‘‘fake grass is no exception’’.
‘‘Apart from annual spraying to remove mould, you can also be up for regular weeding as weeds do start to grow on the turf.
‘‘Re-sanding over time and repairs as the turf ages will also become more regular. If you have animals, you will have to continually wash the turf if any droppings are left as there are no soils to absorb any of this for you,’’ he said.
‘‘We look at new installs of synthetic turfs and they look great on day one. The harder question is what do they look like in a couple of years and why would you have something fake when you can have something real?’’