NY Times asks about Recycling Tennis Balls
Read the article HERE and in the NY Times print edition (page SP3 on Sept 11th). During the Grand Slams, the discussion about “tennis balls” is typically some derivation of how a ball (Wilson, etc) is made. We applaud the NY Times for digging deeper and asking about recycling tennis balls – “isn’t someone in the industry doing something to recycle all the old balls (trash) we use for matches and practice?”
Supported by thousands of loyal tennis ball recycling partners (both individuals & clubs), reBounces’ partnership with Laykold and Ace Surfaces produced the first commercially viable solution – tennis balls being recycled and incorporated into a tennis court surfacing. This was first installed at Tenafly Racquet Club – an existing Green Machine owner & client of Ace Surfaces in the Fall of 2015. You can see the video discussing this installation HERE and a cool animated video HERE of how the recycling partnership works (hint it starts with everyday people & clubs that collect tennis balls for recycling).
Recycling Tennis Balls Background
reBounces collected the first tennis balls for recycling in 2008. The First National Tennis Ball Recycling Campaign began after a trip to Indian Wells in 2009. For the last eight years (8!!), we have been providing free shipping labels (YES… FREE of CHARGE) to anyone in the lower 48 States that can send in 200+ tennis balls for recycling. More than 3,000 individuals and tennis facilities have recycled with us over the years! We (collectively with our partners) cannot do this without continued support of tennis balls coming in by the thousands each week. It is quite expensive at this point to recycle tennis balls. However, with three industry leaders (reBounces – Eco Tennis, Ace Surfaces – innovative tennis court surfaces, Laykold – dominant tennis surfacing manufacturer) behind this effort, hopefully, the tennis industry (associations, manufacturers, etc) will wake up and join us and our thousands of recycling partners.
Recycling Tennis Balls via Green Machines
We began selling our Green Machines in 2011 to clients across the US & Canada — we’ve had ups (and downs), but we currently have more than 300 commercial units out there. The Green Machine literally puts air back in a tennis balls – yellow and all QuickStart balls – extending the life, bounce of the ball on the court. Most recently our technology has been shrunk to a size, price-point for the avid tennis player to purchase. The impact of the commercial Green Machines is staggering. When run at half capacity, Green Machines reduce tennis ball consumption by nearly 5,000,000 (5 Million) per year!
Industry Response to Innovative Tennis Ball Recycling
As noted in the article, the industry by-and-large has not listened nor supported what we’re doing to keep tennis balls in play and out of landfills (not a big shock to those of you in the tennis business). Statements such as these are ways to avoid or not promote the solutions already in existence:
- “challenges with recycling costs”
- “if the technologies have advanced to the point of viability”
reBounces has offered FREE (all you have to do is pay $1.00 for a box!!) tennis ball recycling labels since 2008 and has never turned anyone down who has more than 200 balls to recycle. Laykold Masters Tennis Courts that include recycled tennis balls have been installed in multiple locations across the country. The Laykold Masters court is world class and 100% viable!
Become Part of the Solution
We need your help to continue recycling tennis balls. Some ways you can help:
- Share the article on your Facebook feed AND with other players at your local tennis facility — http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/sports/tennis/yellow-fuzzy-and-flat-where-do-recycled-tennis-balls-go.html
- Put out a box and collect old tennis balls. Want a more formal receptacle/bin for recycling tennis balls? We can get you one that looks amazing!
- Ask for a FREE shipping label
- Let us know how we can support your recycling efforts. reBounces has documented hours for community service, provided certificates for local display, etc.
- Like reBounces on Facebook