A few weeks ago I decided to do something about an issue that has bothered me for years; old worn out tennis balls being thrown away.
I’d thought that certainly, like old gym shoes and Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program, something along the same lines could be done with tennis balls.
With Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program, they will take your old worn shoes, separate out the materials, then grind up the rubberized portions. Those portions then become track fields, volleyball courts, gym floors, playgrounds, tennis courts and the like.
Hence, my first thoughts were that Nike surely takes tennis balls also. But, after a few inquiries, I learned that no, they did not recycle tennis balls.
So, on to an Internet search, where I found “Rebounces.”
Rebounces is a company in Arkansas, possibly the only one in the whole United States, that will take in your old tennis balls.
Rebounces will reuse or re-purpose tennis balls in several ways:
1. Through their patented technology, and for a fee, re-pressurize your old tennis balls to bounce like new and ship them back to you. For tennis pros this is a tremendous cost saver. Rebounces also sells and services their patented re-pressurizaion machine. For more information about this see Green Tennis Machine.
2. Take in your old tennis balls, re-pressurize them and resell to others looking to buy used, but usable tennis balls.
3. Recycle your tennis balls ‘responsively.’
Over 900 tennis balls collected and donated for reycling.
Calling Rebounces, I had a wonderful conversation with Grant. Relaying that there were over 900 tennis balls, donated by tennis players supporting my recycling efforts, sitting in the back of my car, that I wanted to ship to him, ASAP.
Grant was so kind to expedite shipping labels to me by email and within an hour of my conversation with Grant, the tennis balls were off to the Rebounces recycling facility.
During our conversation Grant stated that as Rebounces got more into the collection and recycling of tennis balls, they discovered what a tremendous issue it was, that so much more was needed.
Today, that's 900 less tennis balls in the landfill.
Hence, Rebounces has begun working with companies that will separate the materials, felt and rubber, that make up the tennis ball and like Nike’s program for old athletic shoes, reuse the materials to create needed and safer athletic surfaces.
I am spreading the word about Rebounces and hope that other tennis addicts like me will step up and recycle tennis balls or use Rebounces technology to reuse their tennis balls.
Making this little difference means a lot.
It’s actually inspiring.
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The Rebounces fb page sent me here. This is a great article and a great service that Rebounces offers too; more people need to know about it, so job well done!
thanks!