Net Zero or Zero Net? Ban plastic netting in turf

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Why is this happening?

I’m not going to be talking about climate change so we can forget about net zero climate targets for a bit.

Instead, I want to talk about netting. Plastic netting in grass turf to be exact.

Eh?

Yup, plastic netting in grass turf.

Some of you may have already fallen foul of this if you have bought grass turf recently. For those of you to whom this is new….. let me introduce you to another blinding idea …. the advent of plastic mesh netting in grass turf.

Now, we’ve managed just fine for a few decades without the need to deliberately insert plastic into grass turf but now it is very much a ‘thing’. The reasoning behind this is money. No surprise there then!

Grass turf producers lay this ‘reinforcing net’ over a grass seeded area and then the grass seeds grow up through it. This means that the companies can remove the turf at an earlier stage as the netting helps keep the turf together in one piece. Time is money as they say, so this can save the company some coin.

What's the problem?

Trouble is the problems then get passed on to us as consumers and to the environment.

We get turf that we can’t cut through, the plastic gets snagged up in rakes, forks, spades. If it becomes exposed, birds, hedgehogs and other garden wildlife visitors can get tangled up in it, and of course we get the lovely situation whereby we are deliberately introducing another source of plastic directly into the ground. At precisely the time we need to be reducing plastic pollution!

Did you know?

Many of us know our use of plastic is damaging our planet, but here is a quick recap: 

• The plastics industry is the fastest growing source of climate emissions in the world. It currently emits around 3.4% of world climate emissions, more than both the aviation and the shipping industries!
• If we don’t do anything to slow this down, it is estimated that the plastics lifecycle will contribute around 19% of overall global climate emissions by 2040.
• Plastics in the environment can break down in to ever smaller particles called microplastics and then even smaller ones called nanoplastics.
• Plastics contain lots of different chemicals. Recent studies have indicated that as many as 13,000 chemicals are associated with plastics and plastic production. Some of these can leach out into the environment when plastics break down.

Want to hear some good news?

In January, the UK Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA), the leading body representing the UK turfgrass industry, announced a landmark decision to ban the use of plastic netting in turf production by its members. This decision, supported overwhelmingly by members in a vote, will take effect from 31st October 2026. From this date, grower members must cease using plastic netting to grow turf, in order to retain their membership of the association during the 2026/27 subscription year and beyond.

What would we like to see?

Welsh Government have control over Housing Regulations. They are devolved. With seemingly more and more house building on the horizon, the desire for more turf from house builders in Wales will likely follow.

Wouldn’t it be great if Welsh Government decided to ban the use of plastic mesh containing turf from all new housing developments in Wales and to restrict it from general sale?

We’ve been lobbying Welsh Government for the past 2 years to act on microplastics and they have now committed to doing so. Stopping the use of this grass mesh in Wales could be an early example of the action they are going to take.

(If you’d like to find out a bit more about microplastics, have a look at this blog from my colleague Kirsty).

What can I do?

Sign our petition

If you are thinking about buying grass turf over the next few months, then do check if it contains this plastic netting or not. If you do a quick internet search, you can find producers and stockists in Wales who offer non plastic mesh turf. Or alternatively think about grass seed.

Further information

Can I point you to an excellent article by The Lawn Man, aka Kris Lord, on the subject? https://thelawnman.co.uk/plastic-netting-in-turf-a-nightmare-for-wildlife-and-gardeners/)

I would also like to thank David for contacting us and bringing this issue to our attention in the first place.

Let’s hope we can get Welsh Government to ‘turf out’ this unnecessary practice!