Danish company Re-Match secured state incentives to open a recycling plant in 2022. It hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, thousands of rolls of the fake grass, containing PFAS, are piled up on farms.
Danish company Re-Match secured state incentives to open a recycling plant in 2022. It hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, thousands of rolls of the fake grass, containing PFAS, are piled up on farms.
The agency categorized the old turf as “solid waste” that constituted a “public nuisance,” and further determined that Re-Match hadFor years, Halkias has tried to sell his farm. He says three potential buyers lost interest because of the rolls of turf. “No one will accept the property,” he said, “with all this stuff, which is considered to be waste by the DEP.”
Some bundles of used turf have found a second life in online marketplaces, where they’re sold and used to carpet batting cages, dog runs, back yards, miniature golf courses, and paint-ball fields. In other instances, though, stockpiles of old, fake grass have found a less conventional fate: being abandoned in Pennsylvania, where the synthetic carpets decay on empty lots, in warehouses, or near quarries.
Re-Match agreed to have its recycling facility fully operational by the end of 2024. But its troubles also extended to Wyoming County, where a farmer sued the company in federal court, claiming it owes him nearly $300,000 for about 6,200 rolls of turf that Re-Match has stored on his property since 2018. The case was settled last month.
The turf recycling process, which involves separating sand and crumb rubber infill from the plastic green carpet, doesn’t remove PFAS, which Bennett said renders even the recycled product contaminated. Re-Match warned that its recycling business “entails certain environmental risks,” and that it could be held liable by governments for land contamination. The price “for investigation and acting, such as removing or restoring land,” the prospectus reads, “could be significant.”
“But they used one milliliter plastic bags and the wind would just tear them up,” Halkias said. “So the plastic was just flying down the road because of the wind. And actually I was scared it might cause an accident.” There is no mention in the AstroTurf contract, or in the turf council’s guidebook, of how to address PFAS contamination.
When The Inquirer asked Re-Match about forever chemicals, Larsen cited the council’s original stance that turf doesn’t contain added PFAS. David Warner, a Boston landscape architect, was “waxing poetic about a beautiful recycling facility in Pennsylvania,” Bennett said.“Well guess what,” Bennett told him, “it’s not built yet.”
Environmental advocates and scientists grew concerned in recent years about the health risks of crumb rubber — tiny pieces of recycled car tires that manufacturers used to make turf more cushioned and durable. The rubber contained heavy metals, including lead and other carcinogenic compounds such as nickel, chromium, benzene, cadmium, and arsenic.
About three hours to the south of Jackson Township sits a massive industrial complex, next to a sewage plant in Pottstown. There, in a warehouse, Allen Waterman, owner of APW Enterprises, recycles sand and crumb rubber from used turf fields. Bennett and other activists say aerial photos show that Pennsylvania has received “rolls upon rolls” of discarded turf.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North County blooming for Valentine’s Day and Carlsbad Flower Fields seasonWhile many flowers sold this Valentine's Day are imported it’s also a big day for locally grown flowers — and an even greater sea of color is just around the corner.
Read more »
Snow emergency declared in several Pennsylvania communities ahead of stormThe snow develops in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County after 10 p.m. Friday. It starts near Philadelphia around midnight and then shortly thereafter at the shore.
Read more »
The Pennsylvania election that handed Democrats an underrated victoryMax Burns is a Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies. Find him on Twitter themaxburns.
Read more »
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey discusses Senate's foreign aid package, 2024 electionPennsylvania Senator Bob Casey (D) to discuss the U.S. Senate's approval of a $95.3 billion foreign aid and national security package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
Read more »
Pennsylvania Dems seal House majority with special election winJim Prokopiak won a seat in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Read more »
Terrorism charges filed against Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his fatherInvestigators say Justin Mohn has a USB device with photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions on making explosives.
Read more »