Target Technologies International Inc. (TTII) announced its Synthetic Turf & Infill Recycling Program with the nation’s first recycling facility located in North America. The flagship plant is located in Southern California.
According to TTII, this is a long overdue, extremely important service that the industry desperately needs. Hundreds of fields are replaced annually. It is imperative that owners, engineers, architects and the synthetic turf industry take stewardship and responsibility of used synthetic turf at the end of its life cycle. Some used turf has been salvaged for “re-use,” however even this turf eventually wears past its useful life.
John B. Giraud, managing director of Target Technologies asked, “Why fill up our landfills when we have an option that is sound in every aspect? We keep millions of square feet of turf out of our environment and instead turn it into valuable, sellable items. The reuse program may be viable for a small portion of material, however most turf slated for reuse ends up sitting in a warehouse or on a property somewhere, sometimes for years waiting for a new home while it inevitably disintegrates.”
TTII offers a start-to-finish recycling service. If required, pre-approved contractors are available to coordinate the complete removal of the turf including the infill.
The turf will be chemically treated back to its original form to accomplish the first in closed-loop recycling of the material. The infill will be washed of any contaminants and reused in new fields and other athletic surfacing applications.
The program documents the chain of custody from the time the trucks arrive on site until 100% of the turf is recycled into resalable post-consumer products. Once the process is complete, a Certificate of Compliance is issued. This paper trail is essential for a proper recycling program.