ARTIFICIAL GRASS

A synthetic surface made to imitate grass, these turfs come in a range of different pile heights and colours. Artificial grass is often described as convenient for garden owners due to its little to no maintenance and can last for around 20 years (1).

However, artificial grass has large environmental consequences, such as being made from plastics which can take hundreds of years to decompose, the production process uses fossil fuels which contribute to high carbon emissions and habitat destruction as topsoil needs to be removed to install the artificial grass. Therefore, before installing artificial grass, it should be seriously considered, as is the convenience of it worth the environmental issues over maintaining a natural lawn.

Pros:

– Artificial grass is easy to care for as it doesn’t need to be cut or weeded so is a time saving option (2).

– Fairly durable so can last for around 20 -25 years if maintained and installed properly and can be patched if damaged (1).

– The grass doesn’t need to be watered so can make large water savings compared to real grass, as well as being drought resistant so consistently looks green (3).

– Can fit the needs better of different individuals, its low maintenance is a great option for elderly or disabled people and its durability and uniform look is good for schools and play areas that get high foot traffic all year round (4).

Cons:

– Natural habitats are reduced due to artificial grass usage. Topsoil has to be removed to install the grass effecting worms and other soil loving creatures. Also long grass attracts important insects and pollinators like bees and butterflies but artificial grass doesn’t do the same (4).

–There can be drainage problems, as artificial grass cannot absorb water increasing runoff meaning there’s the potential for water to collect and flood (3, 5).

– The artificial grass will absorb heat, meaning it will be hotter to the touch than real grass. The surrounding air will also be warmer as it doesn’t have the natural cooing effect that natural grass has from evapotranspiration (3, 5).

– Cleaning is still needed for artificial grass to remove things like algae, debris and animal waste (2). Artificial grass can trap waste and if it isn’t cleaned regularly it can lead to the development of harmful bacteria like staphylococcus and ringwork (1, 6).

– Can be expensive as ground clearing is needed in order to install the grass and the fake grass itself can be costly if a more realistic/luxury option in chosen (2, 5).

– There can be potential chemical leeching from artificial grasses in the soil as well as into water sources from run off, putting the local environment at risk (1).

– Although artificial grass sometimes can be recycled it rarely is, often ending up in landfill with some parts of the grasses never biodegrading (4).

– The UK does produce some artificial grass but it’s on the expensive side, majority of grasses however are produced throughout Europe or in China. Cheaper and lower quality grasses are being imported from China, increasing the amount of energy used to transport them. With fossil fuels used int the creation and transportation of artificial grasses they have a high carbon footprint due to their emissions and not being biodegradable (7).

ARTIFICIAL GRASS

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