What are the cons to this product?

The issue of synthetic lawns is a hot button topic in some communities. Across the country, a few neighborhoods and communities have even banned the product. For something that seems like the perfect solution to back-breaking lawn care and ever-increasing lawn care expenditures, others find synthetic grass downright ugly. One homeowner compared it to a Monet painting: attractive from afar, but not that great-looking up close. Opinions vary: does a bright green lawn stick out like a sore thumb in the dead of winter? Aesthetics is not the only issue at stake in the debate over synthetic grass. Some environmentalists feel that while the overall “waste” of water is minimized with synthetic grass, the possibility of greater environmental problems exists, such as erosion. Some types of synthetic grass allow for better absorption of water than others. The water that is not absorbed “runs off” to the nearest available place of drainage. This leaves environmental engineers wondering what would happen if an entire neighborhood had synthetic grass and experienced a significant rainfall. Would the storm drains be over-flowed? Would there be flooding? Would there be erosion? These questions linger in the minds of many. Other drawbacks to the product include the initial cost, as already mentioned, and then another thing that may catch a homeowner for surprise if he or she is not well informed about synthetic grass: because it is made of plastic, it gets hot—really hot--on days with temperatures soaring into the 90’s and 100’s.  To be safe, wear shoes on such days and keep your pets inside.