A group of local high school students in the Bay Area is serving the planet by turning old tennis balls into useful community tools.
Thousands of used tennis balls are finding a new purpose at schools, animal shelters, and assisted living centers around the Bay Area, courtesy of Bin to Better, a student-led environmental organization that transforms waste into opportunity.
Because the rubber and felt on a tennis ball cannot be recycled, about 125 million of them end up in landfills each year. To combat this, members of the Bin to Better organization rally on their time off, sorting through donations collected at local tennis clubs.
The students cut the balls open so they can be repurposed as chair leg covers in classrooms, glides on walkers at assisted living homes and enrichment toys for pets.
Fremont Elementary teacher Ms. MacKenzie notes that the modified balls work great to keep classrooms quieter while preventing scratches on the floor.
The initiative is also making a splash environmentally. Kim Grant, director of the Kim Grant Tennis Academy in Palo Alto, is glad to be part of Bin to Better, saying the effort helps keep nearby waterways clean.
As the organization expands and thinks outside the box for community waste solutions, founders encourage community members to ask around at local tennis clubs or check out the Bin to Better website to join the rally.
