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Daily Read: Sports & Health

Teen Team Sets Record by Recycling 22,000 Sports Balls

A group of California teens, operating under the nonprofit Habits of Waste and calling themselves Another Bounce, achieved a Guinness World Record by collecting 22,000 used tennis and pickleballs in a single day. The balls, which weighed 2,675 pounds, were transported to a specialized recycling facility where they will be repurposed into new balls or other sustainable materials. The event, held on September 19, drew student‑athletes, families, local advocates, and city officials, who were rewarded with free ice cream and new pickleballs from Selkirk. Habits of Waste founder Sheila Morovati highlighted the record as a visual reminder of the waste generated by sports, noting that 1–5% of tennis and padel balls avoid landfills while the rest decompose slowly or emit greenhouse gases. The initiative seeks to reduce the 500 million sports balls that are sold, used, and discarded annually in the United States. Local leaders, including LA City Councilmember Traci Park and Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein, praised the teens’ efforts and discussed drafting ordinances to further support ball recycling. The record underscores a growing movement toward sustainable practices in sports and demonstrates how community action can divert significant waste from landfills.

· Good News Network

The essential points

  1. 01California teens collect 22,000 used tennis and pickleballs, weighing 2,675 pounds, for a Guinness World Record.
  2. 02The haul was trucked to a specialized recycling facility to be turned into new balls or sustainable products.
  3. 03The event drew families, local advocates, and city officials, who offered free ice cream and new pickleballs as incentives.
  4. 04The initiative aims to reduce the 500 million sports balls that end up in U.S. landfills each year.
The full brief

A group of California teens, operating under the nonprofit Habits of Waste and calling themselves Another Bounce, achieved a Guinness World Record by collecting 22,000 used tennis and pickleballs in a single day. The balls, which weighed 2,675 pounds, were transported to a specialized recycling facility where they will be repurposed into new balls or other sustainable materials. The event, held on September 19, drew student‑athletes, families, local advocates, and city officials, who were rewarded with free ice cream and new pickleballs from Selkirk.

Habits of Waste founder Sheila Morovati highlighted the record as a visual reminder of the waste generated by sports, noting that 1–5% of tennis and padel balls avoid landfills while the rest decompose slowly or emit greenhouse gases. The initiative seeks to reduce the 500 million sports balls that are sold, used, and discarded annually in the United States. Local leaders, including LA City Councilmember Traci Park and Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein, praised the teens’ efforts and discussed drafting ordinances to further support ball recycling.

The record underscores a growing movement toward sustainable practices in sports and demonstrates how community action can divert significant waste from landfills.