Tag Archives: plastic grass

Ban Plastic Grass Sports Pitches

Please sign this petition: https://www.change.org/p/ban-uk-local-authorities-from-constructing-artificial-grass-sports-pitches-on-greenspace. It will only take a couple of minutes.

The pitches cause significant microplastic and chemical pollution in the environment. The decontamination of these green sites would be extraordinarily expensive. The petition asks the Environment Agency to ban local authorities from constructing any more pitches in parks and green spaces because they harm wildlife and people. It is also unsustainable development.

  1. Rubber crumb pitch infill is made from used tyres and contains hundreds of toxic chemicals.
  2. The rubber crumb particles are microplastics that escape easily into the environment and pollute soil, water, air, wildlife and people. Animals eat the microplastics mistaking the crumbs for food. Players accidentally ingest or inhale the particles. They can also be absorbed through the skin.
  3. Rubber crumb contains hundreds of chemicals including carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, reproductive and developmental hazards. For example: Lead, phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
  4. PFAS forever chemicals have been found in the plastic grass blades and backing. PFAS chemicals accumulate in wildlife and humans. PFAS pollution is fuelling the biodiversity crisis. Exposure to the most studied PFAS is linked to an array of adverse health effects including thyroid disease, liver damage and an increased risk of breast, kidney and testicular cancer.
  5. The pitches create wildlife deserts, destroying soil biodiversity, habitat and foraging sites.
  6. The pitches are barriers to animal movement, fragmenting landscapes and harming ecological connectivity.
  7. The pitches cause urban heat islands, reducing the quality of the air and release harmful chemical gases in hot weather.
  8. Floodlit pitches cause light pollution that affects bats, insects, birds, other animals, trees and people.
  9. The pitches increase the risk of serious flooding problems.
  10. There are no facilities in the UK to recycle pitches