From helping our game to helping our environment, Wilson Racquet Sports is now partnering with RecycleBalls to collect, recycle, and repurpose millions of tennis balls across the United States over the next 3 years.
“This program with RecycleBalls gives our brand and players a truly viable way to make our communities and our sport better. We chose to work with the RecycleBalls team as their passion for sustainability in the game matched our own, and they have spent the past several years building a strong infrastructure, operations system, and outreach programs to make recycling and repurposing tennis balls a reality.” — Kyle Schlegel, Global Marketing Director, Wilson Racquet Sports
RecycleBalls is a non-profit organization founded in 2014, with the goal of collecting and recycling the 125 million tennis balls that end up in American landfills each year and then converting these tennis balls into innovative and sustainable products. The Wilson/RecycleBalls partnership aims to recycle 20 million tennis balls in the U.S. over the next three years.
“Wilson and RecycleBalls are making a commitment to keep tennis balls out of landfills and repurposing them into socially relevant products like tennis courts, playgrounds, turf, and more. What started as a mission my son and I shared is, with Wilson Sporting Goods’ help, becoming a nationally recognized and adopted program. To date, our growing partner network, which has nearly 650 members, has kept nearly one million tennis balls out of US landfills.” — Derrick Senior, Founder of RecycleBalls
The newest member of the RecycleBalls partner network is Sport Group, the world’s largest sports surface manufacturer. Sport Group will use recycled tennis ball material in their Laykold Masters tennis courts.
“I am delighted that Sport Group has come on board with their Laykold court brand, which is one of the most well-known brands in the game. It is a great story for tennis – the balls go from bouncing on the court to being used in the court.” — Derrick Senior, Founder of RecycleBalls
RecycleBalls offers a cost-effective solution for partner facilities and organizations by providing weather-resistant bins for the collection of tennis ball donations at clubs and public facilities nationwide. These bins are placed directly on tennis courts, giving players a convenient way to be part of the solution.
All donation bins double as a shipping box with conveniently attached prepaid UPS shipping labels. When full, UPS picks up the containers and delivers them to Recycleballs. Partners receive RecycleBalls’ tax-deductible donation receipts for all donated balls.
When tennis balls arrive at RecycleBalls’ Vermont facility, the non-profit removes the felt and grinds the balls into RecycleBalls Green-Gold, a natural crumb rubber mixture that is 99 percent felt-free. This mixture is then provided to partner organizations to create new, sustainable products such as Laykold tennis courts.
Tennis players and enthusiasts are invited to participate in this innovative program through their own tennis ball collection efforts or via donations to help fund RecycleBalls’ mission. For individuals wishing to recycle tennis balls, RecycleBalls provides online shipping labels along with a tax deductible donation receipt. For more information on ways to become involved, please visit www.recycleballs.org.
ABOUT WILSON SPORTING GOODS CO.
Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a subsidiary of Amer Sports, is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance sports equipment, apparel, and accessories. Wilson is the global leader in performance tennis and uses player insights to develop products that push tennis equipment innovation into new territories. Through its dedication to creating products that enable athletes at every level to perform at their best, Wilson has earned its place as a leader in sporting goods for over a century.
ABOUT RECYCLEBALLS
South Burlington, Vermont-based RecycleBalls is non-profit spearheading a first-of-its-kind positive change for U.S. tennis with its mission to recycle all tennis balls in the country. Through a growing network of partners and individuals, RecycleBalls has pioneered a nationwide collection, recycling, and repurposing solution. More information is available at www.recycleballs.org.