I come from a tennis-playing family.

My parents play. My brothers play. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and even a few cousins play.

As you can probably imagine, we have A LOT of used tennis balls always lying around. My family tries to recycle or reuse most old tennis balls so they don’t end up in a landfill – like the 20,000 metric tons of that end up there each year.

So what can you do with used tennis balls? We tackle this question in today’s Where Can I Wednesday column.

How to recycle tennis balls:

• reBounces started a nationwide effort in 2008 that rejuvenates or recycles old tennis balls through commercial services. You simply send them your old, worn out tennis balls for free and reBounces will do the rest!
• Green Tennis Machine, another reBounces offering, restores dead tennis balls back to their original bounce. This machine can extend the life expectancy of your practice balls, improve ball consistency, help save money, and reduce the amount of rubber waste produced.

• Project Green Ball recycles used tennis balls and donates them to organizations that help people with disabilities or life threatening diseases. For example, they work with a developer in Kansas that uses ground up tennis balls as a playground surface.

• Donate: If mailing away your tennis balls or reviving them to their former glory isn’t your thing, donate them. Gently used tennis balls are in high demand. Many children’s sports clubs and learning centers can’t afford to continuously buy new balls. And, the great thing about gently used tennis balls is that they bounce lower and move slower – excellent for a beginner!

And remember, tennis balls are GREEN for a reason.

Readers, what do you do with your used tennis balls?

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Originally from Rochester, New York, Grace studies Communications at Saint Joseph’s University. Green from birth, she grew up wearing reusable cloth diapers and eating co-op vegetables. She's always been conscious of humanity’s impact on the environment. She hopes to eventually form a career as a way to advocate her ethical & sustainability principles. View all posts by Grace Rieck