Reclaimed materials from synthetic turf systems are the new gold, which is why all over the world recycling initiatives are being rolled out to process end-of-life turf. While some have already been in operation for several years, others have just started, with more initiatives just around the corner.
According to the 2022 edition of the “Global Plastics Outlook” by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), only 9% of all international plastic waste is recycled. In contrast, the processing capacity of all European companies that are recognised as synthetic turf recyclers, will soon get close to at least half of the annual volume that is removed from projects on the continent. “Developing the recycling process was a challenge, but since we got up and running, it has become more a matter of fine-tuning the process,” Eric van Roekel of GBN-AGR in the Netherlands says. His company was established with the backing of TenCate Grass and Sport and Leisure Group and their associated brands and partners, as well as Edel Grass and its Dutch partner Antea Group. GBN-AGR uses a wet mechanical process and came online in 2020. Parallel to the increase in production, Van Roekel has witnessed a growing demand for the materials. “Ever since the Dutch norm for stabilizing sand for synthetic turf carpets was updated, the demand has been rising. And with TPE infill being very expensive, we have managed to sell a large volume to field owners all over Europe who just wanted to top up their field to extend its lifespan.” Recycled polymeric performance infill will help bridge the period once the sale of this type of product is banned from 2031 onwards.
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Dennis Andersen, who pioneered synthetic turf recycling in Denmark, is also riding the wave in a growing European market for recycling end-of-life turf. “Last year our plant in the Netherlands came online and we anticipate that our plant in France will commence production by the start of Q2 2024.” Re-Match also uses a mechanical separation process but uses airflow over water to clean and separate the various components.
Recycling on-site
GBN-AGR and Re-Match have a fixed plant, as do Sportex in Scotland and Formaturf in Germany. The latter also commenced production last year. According to the EMEA Synthetic Turf Council, third-generation end-of-life synthetic turf weighs on average 220 to 240 tonnes, depending on the stitch rate and pile-height. The stabilizing sand accounts for close to 50% of the weight, while the performance infill, if present, will account for 45%. The turf fibres itself will only be 3%, while the backing will account for 2% of the total weight. The balance comes from waste and dust that has accumulated in the carpet. Aware of the implications of having to transport this volume, some companies offer recycling on-site. PR Recycling from Germany and All Sports Recycled from Scandinavia are good examples. “It takes between eight and ten trucks to transport a lifted carpet,” Massimo Seghezzi from Radici Pietro Industries and Brands pointed out in his presentation at the AMI Grass Yarn and Tufters Forum. “It has been calculated that a full truck loaded at 55% of its capacity emits more than 1 kg of C02 per km.” He explained why the Italian textile giant has also got involved in combating the issue of end-of-life turf. According to Seghezzi, the estimated disposal costs were between 30 and 40 euro cents per kilogram in his country. “The disposal alone would cost close to 74,000 euros, while the transport cost for trucking it 500 km would be around 1,000 euros per truck.” With this in mind, a mobile plant was developed that has the capacity of 10 tons per hour. “It takes two to three trucks to transport the containers that hold the plant, and it takes three people to operate it.” The infill is separated from the carpet and stored in separate big bags for sand and performance infill before this is dried. An additional module is available to shave the yarn fibres from the backing before the backing is shredded. Once processed, the lifted turf is no longer a waste product with all the associated administrative implications, but has become various new products that can be transported directly to new clients.
Down under to get on top of things
Tuff Group from Australia has invested in similar separation technology for a new recycling plant that is currently being established together with Sportgroup. “Re4orm Recycling will be established in Barnawartha, Victoria, halfway between Melbourne and Sydney,” explains Trent Cummings. He anticipates processing over 7,000 tonnes per annum once he is up and running. Cummings will benefit from new legislation the Australian Government has adopted. “It is no longer allowed to export plastic waste with other components mixed in, hence separating a synthetic turf system will now have to be done locally,” he says. Estimating how much volume is awaiting processing throughout the country appears to be impossible, but he is well-aware of the possible issues of having it transported. “We deliberately chose Barnawartha, as it on the railway line that connects Melbourne with Sydney. It is our intention to load the lifted turf on big containers and freight them by train to our plant.” Although Sportgroup is involved, Cummings makes the assurance that Re4orm Recycling will charge every installer in Australia the same price for processing the material. “This will make our life easier, as all we have to do is change the name of the client when sending out quotes,” he jokes. “On a serious note: dealing with end-of-life synthetic turf is a collective responsibility and most projects that have been installed are council-owned. These projects are supervised by independent consultants. Contractors are merely suppliers.”
True inventors remain behind
According to AMI, the total volume of end-of-life turf worldwide in 2021 was around 64 million sqm. The consultants estimate this will be up to 90 million sqm by 2025. Most of it will have been installed in the US, the country that, back in the 1960s, invented synthetic turf. However, 60 years down the line, the recycling of end-of-life turf is here still in its infancy. Last year, TenCate Grass announced a partnership with Cyclex and Exxonmobil for an operation in Texas. It will start with processing 12 fields, which is a drop in the ocean in a country that replaces approximately 1,200 full-sized football fields per annum. “In the absence of a legislative framework that deals with processing end-of-life turf, the country has become a thriving market for repurposing lifted carpets. The problem is that, in doing so, one will only shift the responsibility for the product, which is likely full of small microplastic particles that will now pollute a much larger environment,” Dennis Andersen of Re-Match explains. Andersen has been eyeing the North American market for many years and announced three years ago the construction of a recycling plant in Pennsylvania. The plant is still not up and running. “As we want to do things by the book, we are continuously running into new obstacles. The Environmental Protection Agency demands that we pay a significant amount for every field that we accept in an escrow account, pending it to be processed. At the same, things are being delayed because we are being asked to produce more paperwork to obtain approval for the plant.” Recently, Re-Match made headlines in Pennsylvania for all the wrong reasons. The company was accused of non-payment for stockpiling large quantities of end-of-life turf at various sites or at sites that were not compliant. “The story was blown out of proportion. It turned out that one site didn’t have the permit it claimed it had when we signed the contract, while, at another site, the fire inspectors had suddenly altered the fire risk for the site.” All these obstacles haven’t dampened Andersen’s spirit to move forward. “I am confident that the plant will soon come online and will eventually become the blueprint for four more plants scattered over the country.” The four plants will deliver a good start for a country that is sufficiently large to accommodate seven plants minimum.
Even though Far-East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe are still blank spots on the international map for the recycling of end-of-life turf, the industry is moving forward. And compared to other industries, the synthetic turf industry is well-ahead in terms of taking ownership of processing its own product when expired.
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