PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – While many high school students spend their spring weekends focused on college applications or social plans, a group of twelve dedicated teenagers from the Los Angeles area is tackling a global environmental crisis hidden in plain sight: the staggering waste of racket sports. Known as the Habits of Waste Junior Board, these student-athletes have launched a bold new initiative called Another Bounce, aiming to set a Guinness World Record for the most tennis and pickleballs collected for recycling.Â
A massive problem on the courtÂ
The scale of the issue is immense. According to the group’s research, an estimated 500 million non-biodegradable tennis and pickleballs are discarded into landfills worldwide every year. In the United States alone, roughly 125 million tennis balls are tossed annually, each taking over 400 years to decompose.
“We play the sport, we see the waste, and we aren’t waiting for adults to fix it,” the group stated in a collective call to action. The board includes several top-tier athletes, such as Ford and Boone Casady, the nation’s top-ranked U18 junior pickleball doubles team.
Transforming trash into treasure
The Another Bounce campaign is more than just a collection drive; it’s a masterclass in circular economy. The teens have partnered with Ridwell in Los Angeles to shred, wash, and pelletize the collected balls. This raw material is then repurposed into a variety of industrial products, including:
Nursery plant pots and plastic packaging.
Carpeting and other commercial textiles.
New pickleballs, through a partnership with BounceBack Pickle in Florida, which creates 100% recycled equipment.
A community movement
The campaign will culminate in a massive Earth Month collection event on April 19, 2026. Residents within a 30-mile radius of Pacific Palisades can drop off their old gear locally, while supporters across the country are encouraged to ship their used balls to the team’s warehouse in Santa Monica.
Beyond the world record, the Junior Board is advocating for systemic change. They have already begun speaking at city council meetings and have issued a formal call to major manufacturers—including Wilson, Penn, and Franklin—to establish national take-back programs.
Join the cause
The teens are currently beating a record of 1,000 recycled tennis balls, but they aim to shatter that number while setting the first-ever official record for pickleballs. As these young leaders prove, the fastest-growing sport in America can also become its most sustainable.
For those looking to help, the team invites you to sign their open letter to manufacturers or send in your “dead” balls to give them Another Bounce.
