Recycle Broken Pickleballs

Mar 25, 2016

What do you do with old, broken pickleballs?

Broken Pickleball

Can I recycle pickleballs?

This is a question that we get asked fairly frequently. Unfortunately, pickleballs themselves cannot be recycled by a recycling center.

In the May 2014 USAPA e-Newsletter, Dennis Dacey, USAPA Rules Chair, states that he believes the answer is "no":

“For now the simple answer appears to be ‘no,’ a pickleball cannot economically be recycled. I'm no expert, but from what I see, because of the type of material with which it is combined and the fact that there is no recycling symbol, the ball is impractical for recycling.”

That being said, you can always get a little creative with these broken, disformed, out-of-round, or otherwise unusable pickleballs! Here's a list of some ideas we gathered from the Internet:

A Hanging Parking Guide via Facebook

2. Googley-Eyed Sunglasses via Facebook

3. A Hanging Pickleball Mascot via Facebook

4. A Pickleball Christmas Tree via Facebook

5. A Tree Decorated with Painted Pickleballs via Facebook

6. Pickleball Mobiles via Facebook

7. Pickleball Friendship Balls via Facebook

Friendship Balls, an idea by Nadine McKay
In case you’d like to make some, here’s the supply list: Yarn and darning needle, skein of inexpensive colorful yarn, scissors and broken pickleballs. Each skein will make four to five balls. Wrap the ball about five times to create a form. Use the blanket stitch and fill each section. Or wrap the center of the ball and then do a blanket stitch consistently, each row becoming smaller until the end. Don’t worry if you miss a stitch, this is not rocket science technology!