The three-year ‘ReSurface’ project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Defra, brings together leading academic, industry and policy partners to develop practical, scalable solutions for recycling artificial turf across the UK.
At present, most end-of-life artificial turf is not recycled, resulting in a substantial environmental impact. The limited proportion that is recycled is typically transported long distances to a small number of specialist facilities, including a major site in Scotland. This creates high costs, significant carbon emissions, and constrained national recycling capacity.
With organisations such as Sport England setting ambitious targets for 100% approved recycling capacity by 2028, there is growing urgency to develop viable national solutions.
ReSurface will address these challenges by developing new recycling technologies to separate complex turf materials, including sand, rubber infill and multi-layer polymer components, and by creating higher-value applications for the recovered materials. Alongside this, the project will model a nationwide recycling network, comparing large centralised facilities with distributed local hubs to identify the most efficient, low-carbon solution.
The project is led by Professor Steph Forrester from Loughborough University’s Sports Technology Institute, in collaboration with the University of the West of Scotland and key partners across the sports, recycling and policy sectors, including Sport England.
Professor Steph Forrester said: “Artificial turf has transformed access to sport, but we now face a growing end-of-life issue. Today, most of these surfaces are not recycled, creating significant environmental challenges. ReSurface will develop the technologies and systems needed to change that, turning a complex waste problem into a circular, sustainable solution for the UK and beyond.”
Dr Kedar Pandya, Executive Director for Strategy at EPSRC said: “This investment reflects our commitment to building a cleaner, more sustainable UK economy. By funding ambitious, collaborative and impactful research into recycling technologies, we are helping to tackle some of the most complex challenges in our waste system from collection through to currently hard-to-recycle material recovery. The research being undertaken, which is jointly funded by EPSRC and Defra, will support the long-term transition to a circular economy and creates the conditions for genuine economic and environmental benefit for the UK.”