SAY NO TO MORE PLASTIC AT CHARLES BEAN OVAL – A considered case for best-practice natural turf
- CLICK HERE to register your support and let your local councillors know you prefer best practice natural turf
- Download the brochure and circulate to your community friends
- CLICK HERE to download our Fact Sheet – What Schools Need To Know
Charles Bean Oval is used every school day by students at Lindfield Learning Village — for recess, lunchtime, PDHPE and organised sport. Some students may use this field for up to 13 years. That represents long-term, daily exposure in a school setting.
Ku-ring-gai Council is currently progressing the Charles Bean Oval Surface Renewal project, with options that include renewal with synthetic turf or conversion to best-practice natural turf. Council project page: https://yoursay.krg.nsw.gov.au/charles-bean-oval
Natural Turf Alliance supports a transition to engineered natural turf for this site. Our position is based on environmental evidence, lifecycle risk, and the particular characteristics of this location beside a school and bushland.
DAILY SCHOOL USE REQUIRES A PRECAUTIONARY APPROACH
This oval functions not only as a booked sporting facility but as an everyday learning and recreation space. When infrastructure is used daily by children, the threshold for material selection should be high. Considerations extend beyond booking hours to include surface temperature, material wear, pollution pathways and long-term exposure.
MICROPLASTICS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOCUMENTED AT THE SITE
Independent testing referenced in Council’s materials identified synthetic fibres and rubber crumb fragments in the drainage channel below the existing field. The AgEnviro assessment hosted on Council’s site records confirms 3,905 synthetic grass fibres captured during two rain events + 15,280 pieces of rubber crumb identified in drainage channel sediment. This confirms that plastic material from the current field is migrating beyond the playing surface.
Source: AgEnviro memo on Council site: https://yoursay.krg.nsw.gov.au/projects/download/22575/ProjectDocument
AUSMAP has separately highlighted synthetic turf fragments as an emerging source of urban microplastics in Sydney waterways:
https://www.ausmap.org/post/synthetic-grass-microplastic-fragments-in-sydney-waterways
Even where alternative infill materials are proposed, the plastic grass blades themselves continue to shed fibres over time. At a site connected to stormwater systems flowing toward the Lane Cove River catchment, this issue warrants careful consideration.
PFAS AND REGULATORY RISK
The AgEnviro memo also notes detection of PFOS and PFHxS in drainage samples and recommends verification and testing of materials in any future synthetic system.
https://yoursay.krg.nsw.gov.au/projects/download/22575/ProjectDocument
National regulatory scrutiny of PFAS continues to increase. The Australian Senate’s PFAS Inquiry (Final Report, November 2025) outlines expanding regulatory expectations and management responsibilities:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/PFAS_per_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances_48P/PFAS48P/Final_report
Where councils select synthetic systems, they assume long-term material management and disposal obligations. Natural turf does not present equivalent PFAS risk.
SURFACE TEMERATURE AND USABILITY
Synthetic turf surfaces are known to reach elevated temperatures in hot conditions. Your submission notes surface temperatures exceeding 55°C in peak heat. The AgEnviro advice also refers to heat and thermal comfort considerations in a school context.
https://yoursay.krg.nsw.gov.au/projects/download/22575/ProjectDocument
For a school environment, the issue is not only durability but comfort and safe usability during warmer months. Natural turf offers cooling through evaporation and does not retain heat in the same way as plastic surfaces.
CAPACITY AND USAGE ASSUMPTIONS
Claims that a natural turf upgrade at Charles Bean Oval would not meet community needs are based on outdated assumptions and misleading data. Modern, best-practice natural turf fields are capable of delivering 50 hours of use per week, not the outdated 20-hour limit often quoted for poorly maintained fields.
At Charles Bean Oval, a properly designed and maintained natural field could comfortably achieve around 50 hours per week, which is sufficient to meet local school and club requirements. Importantly, the commonly cited 72 hours per week demand is based on bookings—not actual usage. Independent analysis has shown that “blanket bookings” can overstate real use by more than double, meaning perceived demand is significantly inflated. The more accurate measure is carrying capacity (players per week), not hours booked. A recent audit by AgEnviro confirmed that carrying capacity provides a far more reliable assessment of how a field supports community sport.
In short, when based on real usage and modern standards, a best-practice natural turf field at Charles Bean Oval can meet community needs—without the financial, environmental and access limitations of synthetic turf.
THE OVAL SITS ADJACENT TO HIGH RISK BUSHFIRE LAND
Charles Bean Oval sits adjacent to bushland mapped as Vegetation Category 1 bushfire-prone land. NSW Rural Fire Service guidance explains that Category 1 vegetation mapping applies a 100-metre buffer approach. In bushland-adjacent school settings, material selection should be considered within the broader environmental and risk management framework.
LIFE-CYCLE AND LONG-TERM RESPONSIBILITY
Synthetic systems require eventual removal and disposal at end of life. Your submission highlights the financial and environmental implications of repeated replacement cycles and disposal of plastic materials. Natural turf, when constructed and maintained to modern engineering standards, avoids plastic disposal issues and aligns with broader sustainability objectives.
A BALANCE PATHWAY FORWARD
Natural Turf Alliance supports:
- Removal of the deteriorating synthetic surface
- Independent verification of environmental testing results
- Transparent lifecycle cost comparison of both options
- Consideration of engineered best-practice natural turf as a viable and durable solution
This decision will shape the experience of students and community users for the next decade or more.
Given the documented microplastic findings, PFAS considerations, heat impacts and bushland setting, best-practice natural turf presents a lower-risk, environmentally responsible option for this site.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD BROCHURE ‘WOULD YOU LET YOUR CHILD PLAY ON PLASTIC?’
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
CLICK HERE to let your local councillors know how you feel about a synthetic turf upgrade at Charles Bean Oval
KEY REFERENCES
Ku-ring-gai Council consultation hub:
https://yoursay.krg.nsw.gov.au/charles-bean-oval
AgEnviro memo (Council hosted document):
https://yoursay.krg.nsw.gov.au/projects/download/22575/ProjectDocument
AUSMAP microplastics article:
https://www.ausmap.org/post/synthetic-grass-microplastic-fragments-in-sydney-waterways
Australian Senate PFAS Inquiry Final Report (Nov 2025):
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/PFAS_per_and_polyfluoroalkyl_substances_48P/PFAS48P/Final_report
NSW RFS Bushfire Prone Land Mapping Guideline:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/4412/Guideline-for-Councils-to-Bushfire-Prone-Area-Land-Mapping.pdf