WEPA hosted an informative talk by Natural Turf Alliance (NTA) President and Co-founder Catriona Carver about the environmental problems arising from the use of synthetic turf in our public open space.
You can watch the recording of this webinar here.
Some of the environmental concerns identified in a growing body of evidence include:
- Synthetic turf and rubber crumb infill shedding microplastics into our waterways
- Increased urban heat affecting humans, wildlife and adjacent tree canopy
- Higher incidence of injury including “turf burn”
- Devastation of soil biome, the foundation of a healthy ecosystem, impacting resilience to climate change and denying wildlife the opportunity to forage
- Increasing the carbon emissions burden
- Extremely high flammability, producing toxic fumes
- No established recycling process, with materials currently adding to landfill at the end of their 8-10 year lifecycle.
The Willoughby LGA currently has four synthetic turf playing fields. This material has also been installed in other public locations, some of which are adjacent to our waterways, as well as aged care and childcare centres where our most vulnerable are exposed to harmful heat and health impacts.
Acting on our commitment to protect Willoughby’s natural environment, WEPA recently lodged a submission to the NSW Government highlighting inadequacies with the Draft Guideline for Synthetic Turf in Public Open Spaces. Like the NTA and many other environmental groups, we share concern over the Guideline’s failure to properly evaluate and regulate the use of this environmentally harmful material.
You can read the WEPA submission regarding the NSW Government Draft Guidelines here.
In case you missed our meeting, you can watch the discussion of this important issue here.
About Catriona Carver and the Natural Turf Alliance
Catriona Carver is President and Co-founder of the Natural Turf Alliance (NTA), a registered association of community groups committed to preserving and developing natural grass open spaces including sporting fields. Started in 2021 with two member groups, the NTA has grown to include twenty-two groups from around Australia, and is connected to similar groups in New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Catriona has also been involved with the Save Gardiner Park campaign in the Sydney suburb of Banksia, which took Bayside Council to the Land and Environment Court, concerning issues associated with hydrology, heritage and environmental approvals. Although they lost the case, activities have continued with advocacy to local, state and federal governments for changes to the process, approvals and funding of synthetic playing fields.
Catriona works in the education sector and lives in the Blue Mountains.
Responding to the NSW Government’s long-awaited draft Synthetic Turf Guidelines was a major activity for the NTA this year and we await the final document.
The objectives of the NTA include:
- protecting the local environment at sports fields and other public spaces, including the land, water, flora and fauna, and surrounding natural environments, and
- ensuring that local government decision-making concerning natural turf fields and open spaces includes open and transparent public consultation.
The Natural Turf Alliance is a member of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
You can visit the NTA website to learn more about their advocacy on this significant issue.
Please share this Bulletin with any friends or community groups who would like to learn more about why we should care about the use of synthetic turf in Willoughby.
