Let's Sow Grass WITHOUT Planting Plastic

Let's use a mat made of hemp or jute to hold down new grass seed and prevent erosion. Those natural fibers work better than the plastic plastic-net ground covers (PHOTO A) used everywhere today. After a few years, they biodegrade, and add carbon to the clayish soil. The healthier alternative products (made of hemp of jute fiber) are available. Montgomery County could fade out the use of these plastic-net blankets (as it has with other toxic substances) by first banning their sale, and then a few years latter, banning their use.

PHOTO (B) shows the plastic net that catches the feet of humans, pets, and wildlife (including birds) as they walk on the grass. The plastic pollutes the soil for years (PHOTO C), and washes away in bits into our creeks. You see little wads of this plastic on school lawns, in HOA communities, around commercial buildings, and along our roadways. Yes, we want to plant grass, but let's avoid planting plastic poison.

Perhaps the natural materials are a bit more expensive, but what "price" are we paying now (and in the future) as we scatter plastic all over the place? Might the Sierra Club, Seneca Creek Water Partners, and other environmental organizations advocate for the change? Might we be able to lift up a natural-fiber product as we lay down an "erosion-control blanket"? Let's look into it!

Steven Sellers Lapham
Gaithersburg, MD