Page 7 | To spread awareness of the toxicity of plastic grass?

DataNotLore · 2023-05-28T15:46:56+00:00

Here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35948114/#:~:text=Numerous%20studies%20have%20shown%20that,%2C%20mutagens%2C%20and%20endocrine%20disruptors. Not only is it bad for the environment but it's probably bad for your health too. The issues are still being investigated, but: "Numerous studies have shown that chemicals identified in artificial turf, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are known carcinogens, neurotoxicants, mutagens, and endocrine disruptors."

ZZpop · 29/05/2023 11:08

There are a lot of people here with the luxury of time or ability to plant/maintain anything.

Sclover23 · 29/05/2023 11:17

We had it in the garden so that my mum and her wheelchair could sit out in the garden with the family where that wasn’t possible with grass. We had some lovely family events together before she passed away, so some people have genuine reasons for wanting to replace their grass with an artificial lawn.

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 11:21

When people come out with phrases like environmental nutters, I do wonder 🤔.

How about people who have educated themselves about ecosystems, environment science and anthropogenic impacts on our world.

Yes there are nutters, but there are also educated people like myself with degrees and PhDs in environmental subjects who if you met us in person would be last peoe you would call an activist or nutter.

But we can all the the massively damaging affects plastic grass has.

As for "There are a lot of people here with the luxury of time or ability to plant/maintain anything." That is utter bollocks spouted out every time. Many Old English traditional gardens and wild planted areas are gardens that are often overgrown crowded beds with huge diversity of plants that take minimal required to maintain a good biodivers population of fauna.

A garden does not have to look pristine to support like or absorb pollution from the air. Neither does it have to look like an overgrown jungle of weeds, it can be easily done with minimal effort once a month or two months for an hour or so. If you cannot spare a single hour in that time I don't believe you.

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 11:22

DataNotLore · 28/05/2023 17:33

@Juiceboxxy

It's poisonous. I genuinely don't get it.

Kids can play on grass, paving, earth... All are healthier than plastic grass

Is it as poisonous as living next to a busy road? Or in London?

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 11:25

Sclover23 · 29/05/2023 11:17

We had it in the garden so that my mum and her wheelchair could sit out in the garden with the family where that wasn’t possible with grass. We had some lovely family events together before she passed away, so some people have genuine reasons for wanting to replace their grass with an artificial lawn.

So there was no reason to plant slabs or paving with creeping tyme or other wonderful flowering and smelling herbs or alpines to wheel her on too. Sorry but that is no excuse there were many alternatives tou could have used.

Also paving is inert unlike plastic grass, it would not leech micro plastics or chemicals and would have also provided basking and habits benith it safe for invertebrates and insects.

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 11:25

Neither does it have to look like an overgrown jungle of weeds, it can be easily done with minimal effort once a month or two months for an hour or so. If you cannot spare a single hour in that time I don't believe you.

My garden is crazy, it’s takes much longer then that to maintain but I rent so I cannot put artificial grass down. Also, it’s not that I don’t have the time to maintain it, I just don’t want to, so would have artificial grass if I could.

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 11:27

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 11:22

Is it as poisonous as living next to a busy road? Or in London?

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If your living in London next to a road then you should be planting lawns and hedges. Which are scientifically proven to massively reduce the toxic pollution from the road on your home and absorb it. 🙄

ZZpop · 29/05/2023 11:32

"As for "There are a lot of people here with the luxury of time or ability to plant/maintain anything." That is utter bollocks spouted out every time."

I am guessing severe disability has never entered your world.

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 11:40

ZZpop · 29/05/2023 11:32

"As for "There are a lot of people here with the luxury of time or ability to plant/maintain anything." That is utter bollocks spouted out every time."

I am guessing severe disability has never entered your world.

Sever disability in my world is no excuse to pay some on to install something that destroys wildlife and pollutes the environment.

There are plenty of alternatives to plastic lawns no matter your disability, so drop the I win disability card does not wash.

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 11:49

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 28/05/2023 17:26

Because I don’t have time to look after grass. It turns into an overgrown eyesore. The artificial looks the same as it did the day I put it down 2 years ago.

Im sorry it upsets you all but trust me, my neighbours are probably immensely relieved

Your plastic grass is a massive eyesore and an environmental crime.

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 11:51

Juiceboxxy · 28/05/2023 17:28

This!!!
I don't have the time to do what needs to be done and I need the garden useable for the children to play in.

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It's looking like it's carcinogenic - still happy for your kids to play on it? Even if you don't care about nature surely you care about your kids, no?

SoupDragon · 29/05/2023 11:53

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 11:22

Is it as poisonous as living next to a busy road? Or in London?

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Is London particularly poisonous with its ULEZ then?

dollybird · 29/05/2023 11:55

faffadoodledo · 29/05/2023 09:17

For those with awful lawns - embrace it a litttle more. Sow other things into it. Eventually mow a path

Pic one is a part of our garden where lawn grass has never thrived - soil is too thin and poor quality. So we have sown meadow planting. This isn't it at it's beautiful peak! Currently it's full of poppies and ragged robin. Early spring it had cowslips and fritillaries. Later it will get cornflowers.
Pic 2 is where lawn grass does grow. Albeit not perfectly. But who cares?

Your garden looks lovely!

LolaSmiles · 29/05/2023 11:58

As for "There are a lot of people here with the luxury of time or ability to plant/maintain anything." That is utter bollocks spouted out every time. Many Old English traditional gardens and wild planted areas are gardens that are often overgrown crowded beds with huge diversity of plants that take minimal required to maintain a good biodivers population of fauna.

A garden does not have to look pristine to support like or absorb pollution from the air. Neither does it have to look like an overgrown jungle of weeds, it can be easily done with minimal effort once a month or two months for an hour or so. If you cannot spare a single hour in that time I don't believe you.
Agree with this in the vast majority of cases.

BriarHare · 29/05/2023 12:06

Plastic grass is so hideous, I can’t fathom how anyone can think it looks ok. It’s just tasteless and embarrassing.

It can’t be recycled, will pollute the ground for decades or more and kills everything beneath it. I can’t wait for it to be banned.

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 12:07

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 11:27

If your living in London next to a road then you should be planting lawns and hedges. Which are scientifically proven to massively reduce the toxic pollution from the road on your home and absorb it. 🙄

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Really? Would be interested to read these studies. Can you link them?

On another note… Not sure what the 🙄 is all about, unless you’re actively trying to put people off educating themselves with all the facts through your superiority .

FelicityFeatherstone · 29/05/2023 12:08

I think the only acceptable reason to have fake grass is if you are disabled and not able to maintain a garden. That seems understandable to me

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 12:10

Simpsonn · 29/05/2023 09:02

My last house we put in AG. Absolutely loved it!! The garden became useable again. We kept a border and had pots too. Before, we never had time to mow it, most of the year it was muddy and horrible.
My DH did actually hoover and clean it 😄 as we have dogs so I liked that I knew their piss had been washed off. It was never too hot to walk on. Got it done year before lock down, THANK GOD!! Meant we got to enjoy being outside all the time there were restrictions.

We've moved now and have a baby. Natural grass. I love watching the birds on the lawn, but we never have time to mow it so have a gardener do it. It's not a big space and tbh due to the weather and the grass being wet I've been out in the garden twice in 2 years. I can't wait to get astro so it's actually a useable space. Our neighbours will hate us as they're all gardeners, retired, who are great at growing own veg and having immaculate lawns. But no fucks given 😆😆

What a bloody diabolical attitude.

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 12:13

faffadoodledo · 29/05/2023 09:17

For those with awful lawns - embrace it a litttle more. Sow other things into it. Eventually mow a path

Pic one is a part of our garden where lawn grass has never thrived - soil is too thin and poor quality. So we have sown meadow planting. This isn't it at it's beautiful peak! Currently it's full of poppies and ragged robin. Early spring it had cowslips and fritillaries. Later it will get cornflowers.
Pic 2 is where lawn grass does grow. Albeit not perfectly. But who cares?

Really lovely!

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 12:16

Highandlows · 29/05/2023 10:53

Interesting comments. I have seen fake grass in beautiful houses with expensive art collections in very rich neighbourhoods of very upper class families. I have heard people attending garden parties asking where they can get it themselves. One of the houses was sold for 5 millions last summer and is far from tacky. I do not supposed the people who hates the idea of fake grass are all environmentalists nutters?

Wealth has nothing to do with classiness.

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 12:18

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 10:12

I cannot stand plastic grass, I see People using it every where with their new kids crawling all over it and admiring with pride their new pristine green coloured mats.

As you say OP the chemicals are one thing but that is just part of it.

As it degrades micro plastics leech into the soil, with toxic chemicals, this kills micro and macro invribrates in the soil, it infects and pollutes our ground water, it runs into our drains getting into both the food chain and water supplies.

It builds up over time and accumulates in all our species of wildlife destroying the eco system.

Replacing grasses and other plants and hedges with plastic increases traffic and other air pollution in our homes and surrounding areas which the flora once absorbed, causing breathing issues with their children.

Baby birds suffer when they hatch as parents can no longer forage as plentifully as they one did due to the lack of insects available. Baby birds are born with soft beaks, they need soft soil and lawns to get to grubs and worms. When replaced with plastic grass this habitat lost and the leached chemicals and heat from plastic lawns harden up surrounding soils.

Other species of mammals suffer, as they cannot dig fro grubs at night and when the do forage off plastic grass they consume micro plastic, plastic grass also holds no micro climate so there is no cooling and this also affects small mammals like hedgehogs and newts will dry up and die trying to cross it.

Sorry for the long rant but any one defending this stuff has zero consideration for wider ecological impacts.

Superb post outlining some of the tragic effects of this disgusting stuff.

Sadly I suspect that your words will be lost on the many selfish twats crowing on here about how great their plastic garden is.

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 12:18

TinyTopknot · 29/05/2023 12:10

What a bloody diabolical attitude.

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🤣🤣

TheHandmaiden · 29/05/2023 12:20

Its disgusting and the people who have it are environmental vandals. Little bits of plastic, leaching into the world constantly, a source of microplastics that make their way into the food chain and eventually, our own bodies.

There is not one good thing about it.

chupachucks · 29/05/2023 12:20

Irritateandunreasonable · 29/05/2023 12:07

Really? Would be interested to read these studies. Can you link them?

On another note… Not sure what the 🙄 is all about, unless you’re actively trying to put people off educating themselves with all the facts through your superiority .

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https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/plant-hedges-combat-near-road-pollution-exposure#:~:text=The%20researchers%20found%20that%20roadsides,by%20up%20to%2063%20percent.

There are plenty if you look, Google scholar search is also your friend.

Ps if you spent just as much time as you did commenting on my emoji you would have found plenty. Just saying 😁 (better for you)

PPS. Not my job to educate the public iny spare time thanks, it not hard to look these things up.

Plant hedges to combat near-road pollution exposure | University of Surrey

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/plant-hedges-combat-near-road-pollution-exposure#:~:text=The%20researchers%20found%20that%20roadsides,by%20up%20to%2063%20percent.

stbrandonsboat · 29/05/2023 12:22

A question for the meadow people.

Do you leave the grass to grow then add in wildflower seeds or do you have to dig little holes for the seeds?

Is it too late to start doing this now?

When do you cut the grass as presumably everything will die off at the end of the year?

I have a somewhat uninspiring front lawn which I would like to do this with. I tried a patch last year where I didn't cut it and lots of little flowers came up and the grasses did look nice. I trimmed everything back down to ground level in the autumn.