Have you ever stepped on an artificial turf sports field and seen black beads in the ground? Have you watch a NFL football replay in slow motion, and seen a spray of black beads as the ball hits the ground? Or maybe you’ve done your child’s laundry after a sports practice and found black beads in their equipment? What are these mystery black beads and what do they do?
The answer is simple: it’s recycled rubber. The movement to convert grass sports fields to artificial field turf is sweeping the nation and the globe. Artificial field turf in not only cost effective, but it is eco friendly. No watering is required, and upkeep on the “grass” is extremely minimal with no mowing or patching needed. The field can be utilized year round, whether it is 115 degrees in Houston Texas, or -10 degrees in Anchorage, Alaska. Better yet, the field stays green the whole time!
Due to the fact that FieldTurf is not “grass” in the traditional sense, it is not held in place by dirt. Instead, the grass is held by 9 pounds of infill per square foot. This infill is a combination of both sand and recycled rubber beads. Hence, the black rubber you see on TV, and find in your child’s socks.
This heavy infill with rubber components acts as a shock absorber for athletes on the field. The American Journal of Sports Medicine rated rubber-filled fields safer than grass fields in several aspects. Fewer concussions, less ACL trauma, decreased rates in severe injuries, and fewer ligament tears are benefits available to athletes when playing on a rubber infill field.
All of these benefits are made possible with the use of recycled rubber products. Old tires are broken down, recycled, and shredded into bead form. After which, they are placed into an artificial turf field. Thus, the use of recycled tire products makes sports not only safe for athletes, but also eco friendly.
With Eco Green Equipment, we make it possible to convert old unusable tires into usable rubber beads for FieldTurf use. Our machines recycle tires not only into field turf beads, but a variety of other forms also. These forms of recycled rubber can then be used to create a wide variety of eco-friendly, recycled rubber products. It is our commitment to providing people the possibility of creating new and profitable products, and be environmentally conscious in the process.