Recycled Tennis Balls: When you know more you do more {it’s a global thing}
Tennis Balls, Who knew?
Tennis players love time on court hitting tennis balls likely as hard as possible! They get smacked over and over again at tennis classes, private lessons, tennis holidays, & tournaments all around the world. The moment the bounce threatens your game out goes the durable trio to the trash can. When we should all be recycling tennis balls. This international game you love so much is taking a massive toll on the planet. Problem is, most don’t have a clue.
Tennis balls take 400 years to decompose. 325 million tennis balls are produced each year. Landfills receive over 125 million tennis balls annually. Its production, use and non-biodegradable toxic impact on the environment at any stage of it’s lifespan is harmful. The solution is to recycle tennis balls.
Where do Tennis Balls Go?
Ultimately tennis balls wind up in landfills and oceans. With very little thought from you, me, and the rest of the other players in the world. As a coach I stretch the life of a ball to it’s MAX to get my greatest ROI. It’s common for players to tear open a fresh can & a couple hours later, toss 3 lifeless balls in the trash without even thinking about it.
From there used tennis balls wind up in landfills and oceans. Incredibly, it takes 400 yrs. for the materials to decompose.
Pro Tip: 💡
Adult tennis camps by playing level & travel destination for Summer 2023 check here.
Are Tennis Balls Biodegradable?
The materials used in a tennis ball aren’t biodegradable. Here’s what they’re made of.
rubber core
woven felt covering (wool and nylon - a petroleum based plastic)
mass rubber harvesting from trees (known to damage protective forests & endangered species)
plastic cans that hold them use virgin or non-recyclable plastic. The recyclable plastic leaks pressure due to microscopic holes.
the supply chain across 11 different countries from start to finish generates 1.2 lbs. of carbon emissions for every tennis ball produced.
Tennis balls are designed to be non-biodegradable, single use, disposable products that are impossible to recycle due to the industry grade adhesive used in the manufacturing process. The felt covering is made of the same material used to make water bottles. Every time you strike the ball those microplastic felt fibers release into the air you breath or are carried by the wind to our water ways.
“Tennis Balls are an Embarrassment”
Tennis Cult , responsible for this in-depth video teaches us how a tennis ball’s life begins at the landfill.
Watch and learn! You’ll be impressed how long it took you to learn this and how little is actually being done in 2022 to promote recycling tennis balls at clubs and professional tournaments. The amount of tennis balls manufactured and the rigid process of making them is incredible.
Tennis balls are an embarrassment - Tennis Cult
How Can You Recycle Tennis Balls?
Tennis cans have gotten recycle attention at tennis clubs around the world. Especially in Europe there are recyclable bins for tennis cans but tennis balls? Nope.
In the US, Recycle Balls, a Vermont company started an initiative to promote players, clubs & pro tournaments to recycle tennis balls using a convenient court side bin to collect and ship them to the Recycle Balls who disperses the materials and turns them into a cushioned tennis surface that feels good on a players body. More so than a traditional hardcourt. The amount of impact for an adult player, competition junior or professional player is easier on the players joints and body.
Are you an american tennis player or tennis facility? Here’s how you can help …
Recycle Balls make it convenient & free to help you to do your part.
Players use this form here to get your own bin sent to you to place courtside at public courts, tennis events, schools, even private courts. They’ll do the rest.
Tennis facilities receive a tax break but it’s not entirely free. Facilities can find your form here.
Who are the Players in the Recycle Game?
Renewaball is a small Dutch company who makes pressurized tennis balls made using the raw materials from recycled balls around the Netherlands. Cost for a can is € 11.25.
Rebounce together with Laykold finishing is turning tennis balls into softer cushioned tennis courts.
Wilson released a zero pressure ball known as Triniti. Sustainable balls come in a paper tube for $22.95 and are expected to last 3 mths. of playing time.
US Open tournament sends used balls to Recycleballs.org.
BNP Paribas has partnered with rebounce to secure balls.
173,522 individuals are helping to make a difference.
8,216,997 tennis balls so far have been saved from US landfills.
International Game Global Effort
Decathlon recycled tennis balls
When you think about your tennis game you likely think locally. Yet your game is 100% internationally played. To think of the billions of tennis balls around the world, inefficiently used and the problem the materials are on the planet? It’s clear tennis players aren’t aware of these initiatives.
I was embarrassed that I didn’t know the hard reality around recycling tennis balls. And in all my travels and years in this game I’ve yet to see these recycle bins in my tennis stratosphere. I know I’m not the only one!
Australia has Game On Recycling a program that recycles tennis balls & sporting equipment. Organizations who register are a collection point. They receive a collection unit and cardboard boxes w/prepaid Australia Post Label for free shipping to a recycle facility.
USA uses Recycleballs.
Singapore has Yellowship on Facebook that collects used tennis balls to repurpose for chair support to better classroom conditions in schools.
Spain has added more than 155 containers in the popular sports retailer Decathalon to collect used tennis balls, racquetballs, padel and squash balls to repurpose a line of flip flops.
France recovers more than 17 million tennis balls for repurposing sports hall floors.
If tennis facilities globally had these collection bins in plain view and repurposing in mind not only would tennis players remember to do their part but the simple investment could encourage more modern resources for our sport.
As someone who teaches adult tennis holidays and sees 1st hand adult injuries & pain associated with a hard court surface, I absolutely love the idea of tennis facilities adding cushioned tennis surfaces like the courts at the US & Miami Open.
Players would feel better for longer and participate more. A cushioned tennis court surface easier on the knees and joints would extend recreational adult’s careers on the tennis court.
You can bet pickleball and padel will add these softer surfaces if it means greater retention! Both are already out pacing tennis. It’s easier, people are having a good time and it’s less demanding on the body.
As a tennis coach, I repurpose used tennis balls on muscle knots. I’ll drop a box off at senior centers for elderly’s walkers. I’ve cut open a tennis ball and used one half to open bottles & jars. You’ve seen companies getting innovative repurposing tennis balls to make equestrian flooring or sports flooring.
So I ask you. What does your country do to recycle tennis balls? Or how do you repurpose used balls?
With love from Mallorca~