Where do tennis balls go after they die!
The Wimbledon Championship has drawn to a close for another year, and new champions have been crowned - but what happens to the unused tennis balls?There are approximately 54,250 balls used throughout the duration of Wimbledon.
In a professional tennis match, typically six balls are used to start the match and are changed after the first seven games and subsequently every nine games. At Wimbledon, at the start of day, 46 tins are taken on to Centre and No.1 Courts and 21 on all outside courts. Yes that's a lot of tennis balls for the game. Unused tennis balls typically end up in landfills, where they can take hundreds of years to decompose. That is 20,000 metric tons of methane-producing, near non-decomposable rubber waste.
The carbon footprint of tennis balls is also significant, with one study suggesting that the carbon equivalent of 26,000 cars is emitted annually from the tennis balls used in the US alone.While recycling is challenging, some organizations like Recyleballs are working to repurpose them for things like horse arena footing or new tennis court surfaces. The shock-absorption quality of these tennis ball courts is better than the rest.
At Wimbledon, subject to availability used balls are sold daily. Proceeds go to the Wimbledon Foundation.After the tournaments wraps up each year, used balls are also donated to the Wildlife Trusts, a grassroots movement of 46 independent charities working to bring back and support wildlife- helping protect one of Britain’s tiniest mammals: the harvest mouse.By cutting small entry holes and placing them in fields and hedgerows, where the thumb-sized rodents face dwindling natural habitats.
The soft, insulated interiors of these balls offer a safe and weatherproof nesting spot, shielding the mice from predators and harsh conditions.Some people donate used tennis balls to nursing homes for use on walker legs, use them to clean pool water, or even as a target for practicing tennis serves.They are also repurposed for dog toys, the bottom of student chairs in schools.
Playing tennis is fun but to make the game sustainable, recycling is a chance to transform the world for better so let's bin less and recycle more.
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