FAQ: THE BENEFITS OF SYNTHETIC TURF

Yes. Synthetic turf provides play areas that ensure kids and families in underserved communities can safely stay active outdoors rain or shine, every day of the year. Synthetic turf fields can be used consistently for various activities like sports, band practice, and community events, and can endure over 500 event hours before requiring repair, compared to just 100 hours for grass fields. .

Yes. Synthetic turf allows families to enjoy its benefits and athletes to play 24 hours per day, seven days per week, year-round, even in drought-prone weather conditions, in contrast to a grass field. This is particularly valuable in states where weather conditions and water scarcity can be extreme for significant periods of the year. Moreover, synthetic turf fields provide a space for multi-purpose competition, allowing multiple sports to be played on a single field.

Yes. Synthetic turf saves water and reduces the need for treatment chemicals. Synthetic turf greatly reduces water use and water pollution compared to what's needed to support grass systems. In states where water conservation is vital, one full-size synthetic turf sports field can save millions of gallons of water each year, depending on local climate and usage. Based on a 2024 report by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, a multi-field synthetic turf sports field uses 0 gallons of water per year as compared to up to 2.7 million gallons of water used for a grass field. Also, valley high schools in Henderson, NV estimate about 2 million gallons of water saved for each grass field converted to synthetic turf and, “that's just going to further contribute to the water efficiency that we have seen in our communities," stated Bronson Mack from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. At the same time, the EPA states that of "the estimated 29 billion gallons of water used daily by households in the U.S., nearly 9 billion gallons, or 30 percent, is devoted to outdoor water use. In the hot summer months, or in dry climates, a household's outdoor water use can be as high as 70 percent."

In addition, the use of synthetic turf reduces the need for chemical treatments. With runoff of pesticides and fertilizers as a principal cause of water pollution, synthetic turf reduces the need for significant amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides, and herbicides which are used to maintain grass.

Yes. Synthetic turf is a low maintenance alternative to natural grass. Unlike traditional fields, synthetic turf does not require mowing, fertilizing, aerating, or reseeding, drastically reducing upkeep time and costs. Synthetic turf also saves money on maintenance and water use, allowing funds typically spent on natural grass upkeep to be redirected to other priorities.

Yes. Synthetic turf can enhance the sense of community that comes from creating beautiful, functional spaces where families can gather and children can thrive for years to come. Synthetic turf creates a beautiful and usable space – in all climates and seasons – where kids and community members WANT to be outside and connect with each other, with nature and with their surroundings, fostering a sense of community and shared experiences.

Synthetic turf is helping provide new life to scrap tires that otherwise could end up in landfills. Each year, the United States produces approximately 300 million scrap tires from passenger, light duty, and commercial vehicles. In the past, these tires ended up in landfills with negative human and environmental impacts. Today, approximately 80 percent are recycled, including a significant amount becoming crumb rubber that can be used as infill for synthetic turf fields.

No. STC members are committed to maintaining the highest quality standards for synthetic turf systems. Our member manufacturers proactively engage with their component and raw material suppliers to ensure that their products contain no PFAS-based ingredients, including polymeric PFAS processing aids. Additionally, our members self-audit through voluntary testing processes that rely on EPA-approved methods for individual PFAS analytes and/or a total organic fluorine test to verify the absence of intentionally-added PFAS. These tests are widely used and provide verifiable, consistent data across different projects and regions. While PFAS are unfortunately present in our environment, STC members are committed to do our part to ensure the absence of intentionally-added PFAS in our products.

STC strives to be a partner with local communities, schools, businesses, and families across the country to ensure that we continue to provide clean and healthy products and play spaces for all, which is why addressing the environmental concerns associated with microplastics is important to us. While synthetic turf is not a major source of microplastic pollution, offering solutions to minimize microplastic release is an important part of STC's commitment to environmental stewardship. Read more here.