Students Set Record Collecting 22,000 Sports Balls
Thirteen California teens gathered used tennis balls and pickleballs in 24 hours for specialist recycling.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Philanthropy
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On September 19, 2026, thirteen students from five local high schools collected 22,000 discarded tennis balls and pickleballs at Reed Park in Santa Monica, setting a Guinness World Record for the most sports balls collected for recycling in 24 hours. The roughly 1,213 kg (2,674 lb) haul was sent for specialist recycling rather than landfill.
Why it matters
Habits of Waste estimates that more than 500 million tennis balls and pickleballs are produced and sold annually, with about 125 million entering US landfills each year. The students want manufacturers to take greater responsibility for products at the end of their useful lives.
The 22,000 balls weighed about 1,213 kg (2,674 lb), a benchmark set against annual national figures of roughly 500 million balls produced and about 125 million landfilled. How much of that material the specialist process recovers has not been reported.
The players
Habits of Waste
A US-based environmental nonprofit that runs the Another Bounce initiative and provided the production and landfill estimates for tennis balls and pickleballs.
Ridwell
A waste collection and recycling company that partnered on the specialist recycling of the collected sports balls.
Guinness World Records
The record-keeping organization whose adjudicator verified the 24-hour collection as a world record.
The details
Students began collecting used sports balls in February 2026, placing bins at tennis clubs, schools and sports facilities across the Los Angeles area. Ridwell, a waste collection and recycling company, handled the recycling, in which plastic components are shredded, washed and turned into pellets used as manufacturing raw material.
Timeline
February 2026: Students began collecting used sports balls and placing collection bins.
August 2026: Malibu officials expressed support and invited a draft ordinance.
September 19, 2026: The record-breaking 24-hour collection was held at Reed Park in Santa Monica.
Roadmap
The effort builds on Habits of Waste's estimates that about 125 million US tennis balls reach landfills each year out of 500 million produced. It reflects a broader push toward extended producer responsibility, in which students want sports-equipment makers to run take-back programs for used balls.
Residents who play tennis or pickleball can drop used balls into collection bins at local clubs and schools rather than throwing them away. Students propose take-back programs that would let customers return worn balls to manufacturers for recycling.
The takeaway
Used sports balls do not have to end up in landfill, and small local collections can make recycling practical for everyday players. Checking whether a club or school accepts used balls is a simple way to keep them out of the trash.
Further reading
Explore more community-driven philanthropy efforts that channel local volunteer energy toward environmental causes.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Times of India.
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Would you bring your used tennis balls or pickleballs to a collection bin for recycling?
