Years ago, we were told that replacing natural grass with artificial turf was good for the environment. It supposedly saved water, which is important in dry areas where rain is infrequent and fresh water is scarce. Now, as science has proven and experience has illustrated, we know that “good for the environment” is a myth. Not only does it require as much water as natural grass (for cleaning, cooling, etc.), but artificial turf also destroys the soil biome beneath it. Further, it pollutes the air with toxic chemicals, and even poisons the marine environment with runoff.
This is a serious problem, because the artificial turf market is large – and growing. The U.S. artificial turf market produced USD $1,100.6 million of revenue in 2024 and is expected to reach USD $1,581.1 million by 2030. For maximum health, we need an abundance of natural green space in our environment and a lack of toxic chemicals. Artificial turf doesn’t provide either. Following is a brief rundown of environmental threats it creates.
Rubber and Plastic Pollution
Several components of artificial turf can generate plastic pollution as it degrades, including the plastic blades, infill, and base layer. A 2023 study conducted in Spain analyzed the presence of artificial turf fibers in river and ocean surface waters. Researchers found artificial turf can be a significant source (i.e., over 15%) of plastic pollution in water. This of course negatively impacts all marine life.
© European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Waste tire material, often used in infill, contains a variety of toxic chemicals. A University of California, Berkeley study found 400 chemicals in infill it analyzed, but could identify only 180 of them. Some of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens; others are associated with asthma, endocrine disruption, and other health effects. At high temperatures, these chemicals are off-gassed into the air and are dangerous to breathe.
In addition, the chemicals, including PFAS, can leach into groundwater and contaminate our drinking water. There is no “safe” amount of PFAS in drinking water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These “forever chemicals” have been identified as carcinogens, neurotoxins, and hormone disruptors. They can cause thyroid disease, decreased fertility, learning and behavioral problems in children, plus a long list of cancers. And they bioaccumulate in the body.
Too Hot for People and Planet
Artificial turf can reach temperatures up to 80⁰ higher than the air temperature, often reading 160⁰-180⁰F or more. Sarah Evans, assistant professor of environmental medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, says that on plastic grass her own kids complain that their “feet feel like they’re burning…even with shoes on. So it’s really, really unsafe temperatures under a lot of conditions.” Heat stress and burns are not unusual in children as well as adults playing sports on artificial turf.
These high temperatures also create a “heat island effect,” raising the temperature in the surrounding environment. Natural grass, on the other hand, has a cooling effect. The plastic turf also releases pollutants like methane into the atmosphere, which contributes to the overheating of the planet. Further, a recent study shows that plastic production, from cradle to grave, releases about four times as many planet-warming chemicals as the airline industry.
Creates an ecological dead zone
Nothing lives in plastic grass, or under it! It’s like covering the earth with a plastic carpet! Before installation, the soil has to be heavily compacted, which destroys soil structure. The compacted soil and lack of oxygen suffocate the microbial life in the soil and block the natural carbon cycle. Under normal conditions, healthy topsoil can store more than twice the amount of carbon that plants and the atmosphere combined can sequester. Removing this “carbon sink” therefore contributes to additional warming of the planet.
Further, artificial turf takes away habitat from insects, birds, and local wildlife, contributing to a loss of biodiversity. Birds as well as pollinators and other insects beneficial to the soil and overall circle of life become more scarce. Losing our birds and bees, among other vital pollinators, would not bode well for the food supply we take for granted. A few pollinator-dependent foods are avocados, apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, coffee, grapes, melons, peaches, pears, strawberries, and tomatoes. Imagine life without them!
Can Cause Flooding and is Combustible
Research by Aviva Insurance Company finds that artificial grass can prevent water from being absorbed, which can worsen flooding during heavy rains. “In urban areas, drains can become overwhelmed if the water cannot be absorbed, causing flooding outside and in the home.” Further, a recent study by GHD Australia has found that under wildfire-like conditions, artificial turf is “easily flammable.” And when it burns, it off-gases toxic fumes that are especially dangerous for firefighters and residents to inhale.
It’s Not Recyclable
Despite what some turf companies claim, artificial turf cannot be recycled in the U.S. Because it’s made of mixed plastic materials, recycling it will never be economically viable. At the end of its 8-to-15-year lifecycle it has to be sent to a landfill, illegally dumped, abandoned, or hauled away for incineration. The latter is what artificial turf companies euphemistically call “advanced recycling,” but burning it releases all the volatile toxic chemicals into the air we breathe.
Coen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If abandoned, sent to a landfill or dumped elsewhere, the toxins can leach into the ground or groundwater, poisoning our soil and water. A 2019 investigation by the York Daily Record noted that “used artificial turf is expected to produce 1 million to 4 million tons of waste in the next 10 years.”
The Bottom Line
Artificial turf is not a useful or sustainable product. All parts of our world are interconnected, and a short-sighted solution that appears to solve one problem is causing myriad others. All for the sake of artificial turf company profits. More important than these companies’ bottom line, though, is the environmental and human bottom line: the real cost to our health and the health of our planetary home. The true solution has to be nature-based – drought-tolerant grasses that use less water, preserve our soil biome, recharge our groundwater, and provide food and habitat for local wildlife. That’s how we protect the web of life we all depend upon to survive.
If you agree, let your elected representatives at all levels know that you’d like to see a ban on all new artificial turf installations anywhere. Already, major health organizations are developing policies and resolutions to transition away from synthetic turf.
For further information about how artificial turf affects children’s health, see the previous article here.
- Connecting with Nature: The Ancient Wisdom of Living in Harmony - January 30, 2026
- How Artificial Turf Compromises the Web of Life - December 7, 2025
- Plastic Grass: A Hazard for School Kids - August 8, 2025
