SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/433388
36 SportsTurf | December 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com Facility & Operations reaching their end of life every year," says Heinlein. "That's an unbe- lievable number, when you think about it. The average field is about 80,000 square feet. Multiply that by 1,000 fields per year and you have 80 million square feet of turf, every single year. Landfilling is just an unacceptable practice from a sustainability standpoint." However, Heinlein adds, new systems for recycling artificial turf surfaces are being developed in the US and Europe. He is confident that the technology will be successful and eventually accessible and affordable. In addition, he notes, "We're starting to see turf manufacturers focus on making carpet that are easier to recycle. We didn't have that 15 years ago. Synthetic turf is commonly made of a mix of polymers. This makes recycling difficult. The new trend is to manu- facture carpets with single polymer materials that can be recycled more easily." The industry continues to evolve and Heinlein says the demand for earth-friendly solutions will continue to rise. He has seen it in the number of calls his company receives from those in the industry. "There have always been people who do not simply want to throw something away. Repurposing the carpets and infill is part of the answer but we need solutions for a much greater volume of material. We get questions from architects, owners and others, all of whom are asking about their options. They want to do their homework. It's good for us, obviously, but it's better for the industry because it shows a growing awareness. If given equitable choices, nobody would choose to say 'Here, take my 80,000 square feet of turf and throw it into the landfill.' They want a better answer. We want everyone to be able to say, 'Hey, look, this facility is 100 per- cent recycled.' It drives the industry to a better place." ■ Mary Helen Sprecher is a free lance writer who wrote this article on behalf of the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), a non-profit association helping designers, builders, owners, operators and users understand quality sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings and publishes newsletters, books (includ- ing the Sports Fields book mentioned in this article) and technical construction guidelines for athletic facilities including sports fields. It also offers voluntary certification programs in sports facility construc- tion and maintenance, including sports fields. Available at no charge is a listing of all publications offered by the Association, as well as the ASBA's Membership Directory. Info: 866-501-ASBA (2722) or www. sportsbuilders.org Synthetic turf is commonly made of a mix of polymers. This makes recycling difficult. The new trend is to manufacture carpets with single polymer materials that can be recycled more easily."