Unexpected recycling, for an old problem

The evening sky as seen from Mountain Avenue in Woodstock, Vermont (Gareth Henderson Photo)

One of the thrills of being a journalist is learning interesting facts that have a broad impact, and then sharing them.

The following was news to me: It can take four centuries for a tennis ball to naturally break down in the environment. Well, that's why a Vermont nonprofit is working to keep this popular athletic item out of the landfills.

In fact, RecycleBalls, in South Burlington, Vermont, has found some success in putting this material back to use, when many serious players would discard the balls after one tennis match. The key: founder Derrick Senior invented a machine that separates the fuzz from the tennis ball rubber, NECN's Jack Thurston recently reported. The fuzzy material has been used as footing for horse arenas, and the chips of rubber have even been used to help construct new tennis courts. Other balls are punctured, to use as floor protectors on the legs of tables and chairs, Thurston reported.

Senior and his son, Ryan, are continuing to expand their efforts, distributing their collection boxes to gyms, parks and other tennis facilities across the country. Part of that is getting people used to the idea that you can recycle old tennis balls. "We are changing habits in this country," Derrick Senior told NECN.

A few hundred million tennis balls head to U.S. landfills annually, estimates the renowned tennis brand Wilson, a major supporter of RecycleBalls. That number equates to 20,000 tons of waste that doesn't break down. This Vermont nonprofit has kept about 6 million balls out of the waste stream over the past four years, the NECN report states. "We're definitely making an impact," Ryan Senior said during his interview.

Though the issues of waste in this country are vast, a number of compelling efforts have come to light in recent years — this being one of them. It's encouraging to hear about this effort happening right here in the Green Mountains, and even more so to hear about this nonprofit's work across the country. Learning about this solution, one wonders what other non-decomposing materials could also be diverted to new uses that keep them out of the waste stream. With recent innovations and the drive to protect the planet, we can expect other fresh ideas down the road. There's no better time than now, for this type of new thinking to resolve old problems. We have a shared responsibility to encourage and create such solutions, so we can all thrive in a stronger future.

— Gareth Henderson