By Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta, Philadelphia Inquirer
It was supposed to be Pennsylvania’s Green Dream.
Re-Match, a Denmark-based recycling company, had planned to open what it said would be the first artificial turf recycling facility in the United States — in a Schuylkill County factory by the end of 2024.
Environmentalists were overjoyed. Lab tests have shown that artificial turf has contained PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, for decades. The so-called forever chemicals — which are found in an array of products, including firefighting gear and nonstick cookware — don’t break down in the environment and have been linked by the EPA to cancer, asthma, thyroid disease, and decreased immunity to fight infections.
But Re-Match’s recycling dream will never be realized in Pennsylvania, and as a result, tons of chemical-laden turf pose an ongoing environmental threat with no easy solution.
In June, the company filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, bringing to an end to a company whose arrival in Pennsylvania was once celebrated by top elected officials.
Re-Match had, in recent years, stored 11,000 tons of decaying turf rolls in three locations across the state, including a farm in Nicholson, Wyoming County, where nearly 6,000 tons of old turf sit on dirt fields. The turf, once meant to be recycled, now faces an uncertain future.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please don’t take our word for it. Try it free for a whole month
