Synthetic grass fragments are increasingly prevalent microplastics in waterways across Metropolitan Sydney

AUSMAP
6 days ago
3 min read

AUSMAP's shoreline monitoring provides some of the first site-specific evidence of synthetic grass fibres accumulating in Metropolitan Sydney waterways.

Synthetic grass installations are now commonplace across Australia, appearing everywhere from community and elite sports fields to school playgrounds, party boats, residential yards and public landscaping.

These surfaces have been associated with a range of concerns, including surface temperatures reaching up to 75 °C on hot days, increased player injury risk, reduced biodiversity, and intensified urban heat, particularly in Sydney's Western Suburbs.

This increasingly popular plastic product has the potential to release microplastics into surrounding drains, parks, and waterways, contributing to a growing and largely unmanaged source of urban plastic pollution.

Synthetic grass found on a beach in Sydney's waterways — Artificial greenery, including synthetic grass observed along tide line of Manly Cove, Sydney - May 2025

Shoreline surveys by AUSMAP demonstrate the presence of synthetic grass fibres in Metropolitan Sydney waterways dating back to 2019.

How do synthetic fibres enter the environment?

Synthetic grass microplastic fibres are released from their source, such as sporting fields, residential yards, playgrounds, and landscaped areas, through everyday wear, weathering and maintenance activities. Once mobilised, these fibres can enter the surrounding environment via the stormwater network. There, they persist in sediments and along shorelines, where they can act as sponges for other environmental pollutants and be ingested by wildlife. Importantly, this demonstrates that synthetic grass materials are not confined to their points of installation but are dispersed into the wider urban environment.

How much synthetic grass has AUSMAP found?

Recent AUSMAP data show that synthetic grass fragments are becoming increasingly common in Sydney’s waterways. At regularly monitored locations, such as Rose Bay in Sydney Harbour, synthetic grass debris has increased approximately tenfold between 2022 and 2025, reaching over 20 blades per square metre. Similarly, at Manly Cove, synthetic grass fragments were first detected in 2019, and concentrations have since tripled, despite natural year-to-year fluctuations.

The highest average concentration recorded to date was at Tower Beach (Gamay/Botany Bay), where up to 2,500 blades per m² were recorded in 2024. Local stormwater inputs, rainfall patterns, and nearby synthetic grass fields in the Botany Bay region likely contribute to the high and variable amounts seen at this site.

We need action to prevent further loss into our environment.

Microplastic synthetic grass blades at Bondi Beach

We are calling for:

A 5-year moratorium on new planning and approvals for synthetic grass fields until further research and information on potential human and environmental harm from these fields is clarified.
Enforcement of Australian Standards for pollution mitigation measures on synthetic grass fields and more detailed guidelines for field management to be implemented on all existing synthetic fields as soon as possible.
Invest substantial effort into improving drainage and the condition of natural grass fields to avoid synthetic grass.
Local governments to provide a truly balanced cost-benefit analysis at the end-of-life of synthetic fields compared to those of natural turf.

Do you want to learn more about synthetic turf?

You can read about the rest of our work on synthetic grass and rubber crumb here, including a deep dive into quantifying how much rubber crumb is coming off synthetic playground flooring.

Hosted by AUSMAP and Seabin Foundation, our Beyond the Surface event dove into the impacts of synthetic grass on our environment - followed by an expert panel.

Watch the presentation here: