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Lobbyists already opposed the ban on plastic granules
1 September 2020
The lobby against a possible ban on rubber plastic granules used on sports fields has already started. These are rubber granules from shredded car tires that are sprinkled on artificial turf fields.
To prevent these grains from ending up in the environment, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is proposing measures, including a ban on the use of these granules.
Lobby
That ban should come into effect in six years, but the lobby to prevent that – by stakeholders, such as industry and sports federations – has already begun. They argue that environmental pollution caused by these grains can be prevented with simple measures. The environmental organizations, on the other hand, believe a ban is the only way to ensure that this source of pollution stops.
The reactions of stakeholders to the present proposal will be incorporated in a final document that ECHA will present to the European Commission. Consultations between the European Commission, the Member States, the European Council and the European Parliament should result in a final decision.
Microplastics and heavy metals
ECHA focuses on limiting intentionally added microplastics to products, such as microplastics in cosmetics. The goal is to prevent these from ending up in the environment. The rubber granules are considered microplastics. These do not decompose naturally and heavy metals, such as zinc, leach out and pollute the soil.
Two advisory bodies have already given their reaction to the proposal of ECHA. The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) advocates a ban. The Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC), which looks at socio-economic consequences, says that there is currently insufficient information available to assess the consequences of a ban properly.
Cork or olive stones
Artificial turf pitches can be played on more intensively than pitches with natural grass. ECHA’s proposal is not about the pitches, but about the grains. In case of a ban, alternative organic materials must be used, such as cork or olive stones.
If there is no ban, technical measures must be taken to prevent the rubber granules from ending up outside the field. All kinds of best practices have already been devised for this. But one caretaker is not the other and leakage will never be entirely preventable. Players take granules home with them through their shoes, socks and clothing, for example. A ban is the only guarantee that no more rubber granules will end up in the environment.
Remediation passed on to the citizen
For DELTA-GOM, a French supplier of rubber granules, a ban has dramatic consequences. The infill calls the company (in a submitted vision on the proposed ban) a perfect example of the circular economy that benefits not only the recycling sector but also tire producers, sports clubs and local authorities.
According to DELTA-GOM, the fact that many pellets now end up in the environment is a big misunderstanding; the pellets would mainly sink, which is why they have to be refilled every time. According to the company, for at least 400,000 tons of tires that are currently shredded into granules annually in Europe, the alternative is incineration or landfill. However, the costs of environmental pollution and soil decontamination are being passed on to society is not mentioned.
Manager may solve it
If the lobby is influential and the rubber granules are not banned, another problem arises; site managers are saddled with the consequences if the best practices turn out to be unsatisfactory. After all, it is the site managers who are responsible for the grains that end up outside the fields. Whether this is a lot or a little grain is not a criterion.
Last year, following a declaration by Recycling Netwerk, the District Court of Rotterdam ruled that a certain manager, with whom granules had been found outside the fields, violated Article 13 of the Soil Protection Act. This will not be different in other countries.
Plastic Soup Foundation’s position
A ban on the rubber granules is the only way to ensure that the rubber granules do not end up in the environment. A ban will lead to the development of alternatives that replace the shredded car tires and are less harmful to players and the environment. These and other arguments are extensively presented in the ECHA driven vision of environmental organizations, including the PSF. Click here for the document.
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