Another aspect that must be considered when undertaking such large projects in the community is the environmental impacts a project might have. Natural grass fields as I mentioned above do require fertilizing and, in some cases, this can lead to run off into local creeks. This runoff then gets into the water systems and can add to the pollution that then goes into the ocean. The grass clippings as well if not properly disposed of may transport weeds that are in the ground via vegetative propagation. These are the two main environmental impacts of the maintenance of natural grass. If natural grass was simply left by itself then it really would not have an impact on the environment. Eventually it would grow wild and effectively create a habitat for flora and fauna to grow.

Artificial grass on the other hand can have a significant impact on the environment. Firstly, the construction of the field completely changes the soil composition and removes all the natural grass that can be a habitat for small insects, lizards which then provide food for birds and so on. On top of that, runoff from the construction process depending on where it occurs may end up in the creek or river systems. This can then cause algae blooms and promote the growth of weeds and invasive species. Furthermore, if it gets into the ocean it creates the same issues as fertilizers. Grass although small also contributes to the reduction of pollution through the process of photosynthesis.

There are also concerns to do with the rubber pellets. There are already many cases of animals mistaking small bits of manmade materials such as plastic as food. Once they are ingested animals may become sick and may even die as a result. This concern is especially relevant to the existing artificial field at Melwood Oval and the proposed artificial grass fields to go in at Millers Reserve. Both sites have creeks bordering the oval. There have been concerns raised by community members that the rubber pellets and runoff from the fields will enter the water system and animals may mistake these as food.

 

There are also social implications of the two different types of field surfaces. Natural Grass fields are accessible and usable by anyone who wants to use them. Whether that be for playing football or whether that is for a picnic or walking the dog.

However, artificial grass fields are not as accessible for everyone. You can play most sports on them, Fields around here also host cricket, AFL and football. But it wouldn’t be recommended to play either rugby codes on them, too much of the sport is played on the ground. I had one friend who said they played on an artificial field specifically made for rugby and within in 5 minutes most players were cut up by the abrasive surface and sent to the blood bin.

Cricket pitches are placed in between synthetic fields if there is more than two. If there is only one field, patches of artificial grass are placed over the hard-synthetic cricket pitches to make it safe to play football on. So, synthetic pitches can be compatible with artificial grass fields, but turf cricket pitches are not. At least I have not seen the two crossed over. I think it could be done, but you would need either a drop-in pitch, or enough space between two pitches to keep the turf pitch throughout winter. Anyway the point is that artificial football fields mean that either turf pitches are removed or they must be converted to synthetic pitches.

They also limit the amount of leisure activities that can take place. You cannot walk your dog on artificial fields for instance. This is largely a concern over dog poo being left on the field and ruining the playing surface. But there are other concerns for the dogs. The rubber pellets could potentially be ingested through either their mouths or their noses which could cause significant health issues. I am sure they are non-toxic but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t cause blockages.  The pellets would also get tangled and trapped in the hair of the dogs. Anyone who has ever played on artificial grass even just once will know that the rubber pellets get in everywhere, imagine what it would be like for a dog.

It also would not the most comfortable thing to have a picnic on, it would be flat, but also very hot. The rubber pellet would also get in everything. I will say though the likely hood of ants invading your food would be significantly reduced so there are pros and cons to this.