Fate of recycled tyre granulate used on artificial turf

Abstract

The production of granulates as infill for artificial turf is able to process 21% of the end-of-life tyres in Europe, approximately 600 million kg per year. In doing so it avoids an annual CO2 emission comparable with the amount that could be absorbed by around 30 km2 of forest. However, dispersal of rubber infill to the environment is perceived as a problem. An amount of 3000–5000 kg granulate per field per year is currently used as underpinning for a European proposal to ban rubber infill as part of the intended restriction on intentionally added microplastics in 2021. By reviewing grey research reports, we found out that the dispersal rates are based on the false assumption that the annual granulate demand for refilling is necessary because of granulate losses to the environment. However, it has been ignored that part of the refill is needed because the infill layer settles and becomes more dense (compaction) and that part of the lost infill is collected and reused on the fields. In combination with unawareness and improper piling of snow in the past, these are the causes of the high estimates of infill dispersal per year. This paper shows the current state-of-knowledge about ELT granulate dispersal and shows that approximately 600–1200 kg refill is required annually to compensate for compaction and for some infill waste on pavements and in drainage sinks. Recommended mitigation measures are containment through optimized field and drainage construction, suitable maintenance equipment and practices and good-housekeeping rules for players and groundkeepers and handling end-of-life pitches. If these recommendations are implemented, the emission of ELT granulates to the environment can be reduced to virtually zero.

Ingestion of rubber tips of artificial turf field by goldfish

“…One possible way to mitigate the spread of RT is to install a device to prevent the migration of RT from ditch to sewer pipes. Another option is to use natural products, such as cork, coir (coconut-derived material), or olive seed as in ll for the sports elds instead of RT 32,39,40 . In lls of plant origin are biodegradable and thus would not result as MP even if they are released into the environment.…”

“…Apart from humans, leachate from RT layers was toxic for chicken embryos and water ea Daphnia magna 38 . Thus, although RT is not so-called "plastic," we should consider RT as one of marine MP in the broad sense because not only the safety of the players on the turf but also the safety of aquatic animals should be in our consideration as well 39,40 .…”

Ingestion of rubber tips of artificial turf fields by goldfish

“…Apart from humans, leachate from RT layers was toxic for chicken embryos and water flea Daphnia magna 38 . Thus, although RT is not so-called “plastic,” we should consider RT as a marine MP in the broad sense because not only the safety of the players on the turf but also the safety of aquatic animals should be considered 39 , 40 .…”

“…Kole et al 42 also estimated that the released rate of RT is 380–640 t/year in Denmark, 2300–3900 t/year in Sweden, and 2700–4500 t/year in The Netherlands. Although some studies have examined the actual migration of the RT from the sports field 34 – 36 , 39 , 40 , no studies have examined a relationship between the RT and fish activities. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the influence of sports activities, including sports facilities, on marine ecosystems, marine resources, and seafood safety 43 .…”

Letter to the Editor of Risk Analysis on the de Vries et al. Article (2021) on the Role of the Media in Communicating About Risks Linked to Crumb Rubber

“…When contextualizing the media's presentation of crumb rubber risks, it is important that researchers themselves avoid distortion and decontextualization. Media discussions of the origins of crumb rubber, the downstream ecological and environmental impacts and fate of the tire rubber products, and substitute materials available are all entirely legitimate subjects and avoid a procrustean approach to risk (Massey et al., 2020, Tian et al., 2021, Verschoor, Van Gelderen, & Hofstra, 2021). This would include media discussion of the relative weight given to socioeconomic and scientific evidence in acting upon or delaying risk management decisions relating to crumb rubber in sports fields (see ECHA 2020).…”