Turf system

What is an artificial turf field actually made of?

You cannot define a recycling route until you know what the system is made of.

An artificial turf field is not one product. It is a system of separate materials and components, each with its own polymer or mineral composition, contamination profile, separation behaviour and end-of-life route.

Artificial turf pitch, Witney
Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Artificial turf surface detail
Gustamons, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sport, landscape and hybrid variants

Sport turf system

1Yarn / pile fibres
2Primary backing
3Secondary backing / coating
4Stabilising infill
5Performance infill
6Shockpad / elastic layer (optional)
7Geotextile / separation layer
8Installation materials (adhesive, tape)
9Sub-base and mineral layers

Landscape turf system

1Yarn / pile fibres
2Primary backing
3Secondary backing / coating
4Stabilising infill (not always present)
5Adhesive, joining tape
6Drainage mat, rubber or foam underlay
7Soil, clay, roots, moss, organic debris
8Garden or construction sand
9Mixed household contamination

Hybrid turf system

1Synthetic reinforcement fibres (stitched or woven)
2Synthetic backing / grid
3Natural grass and roots
4Soil and organic matter
5Sand
6Sub-base and mineral layers

Sub-base and mineral layers are linked to a project but are not automatically counted as artificial turf waste.

Component records

Yarn / pile fibres

Primary backing

Secondary backing / coating

Adhesives

Shockpads / elastic layers

Geotextiles / separation layers

Sub-base and mineral layers

Hybrid turf components

Landscape turf components

Unknown / mixed material

End-of-life outcomes recorded per component

direct reuse
reuse after cleaning
reuse after processing
closed loop recycling
open loop recycling
downcycling
chemical recycling
energy recovery
landfill
export
storage
unknown