Climate Action - Tennis Balls

The majority of tennis balls end up being dumped in landfill or even worse incinerated. To date very little recycling of tennis balls is being undertaken. Below are are a few statistics.

360,000,000 tennis balls are produced each year

22 million are recycled

Most balls are only used a handful of times before being discarded

The US Open uses 85,000 balls, Wimbledon 54,000, Roland Garros 65,000 per tournament.

Balls are almost exclusively made in South East Asia

The components for balls come fromPheonix all around the world and it is estimated that on average the carbon miles are around 80,000km before the tube is opened for play

It has therefore been estimated that each tennis ball equates to just under 0.5kg of carbon emissions

Extend life

Price of Bath – Pheonix Balls

Their aim is to keep tennis balls out of landfill and in circulation forever. When worn, simply return them to us and we will recycle them again, and again into new balls. With all the performance of a pressurised tournament tennis ball, Phoenix is made to ITF standards. They are seeking ITF approval in 1Q2023. You don’t have to choose between ethics and excellence, because this ball delivers both.
And best of all they are produced in the South West.
A ball that bounces back, not one that ends up in landfill. Read more about Their Sustainable Solution.

Wilson Triniti

Wilson has introduced Triniti, the world’s first eco-conscious, high-performance tennis ball. It uses 100% Sustainable Packaging and maintains its fresh ball feel 4x longer to reduce consumption and waste. 5% of Triniti profits support worldwide sustainability efforts.

PressureBall

You can extend the life of your tennis balls by using something like the PressureBall – it works by putting balls back under pressure. The aim is to prolong the life of new balls and also revive old balls. So not only do you save money on balls, you save on packaging and don’t put more rubber and plastic into the environment.

Recycle

This is a hot topic in the Tennis Volunteer Community and some great ideas from companies that recycle old tennis balls. As part of the Environmental Sustainability Plan, the LTA is investigating a national recycling initiative.

Recycaball

Recycaball work closely with hundreds of clubs, coaches and players across the UK, offering the chance to recycle decent used tennis balls. They regularly give donations to various charities too!

Recycle Tennis Balls Charity

There’s also the cute Recycle Tennis Balls charity which sends balls to dog rescue homes.

Donate or up-cycle flat balls

Consider up-cycling them into dog toys or simply drop them at your local animal shelter or fly-ball club, but please encourage them to join a recycling program as well.

If you know of more options to extend the life of tennis balls or recycle, then please let us know by emailing us at Climate Action.