You might be wondering if pickleballs are recyclable. These balls are made of low-density polyethylene, and they tend to lose their bounce over time.
But if you know the right kind of plastic to look for in a recycler, you can ensure your pickleballs will never end up in landfills. Even if you’re not a recycler, you can make good use of your old pickleballs as household objects, coasters, and coasters.
Pickleballs are Made of Low-Density Polyethylene

Despite their name, pickleballs are not made of rubber; they are actually a thermoplastic resin. These balls are generally made to meet specific technical specifications such as bounce height, diameter, weight, and hardness.
They may be made from various plastics, and some are even made from foam. However, there are some differences between these different types of balls, so it’s best to research the materials carefully before purchasing one.
The most popular brands of pickleballs are TOP, Dura, and ONIX. All three brands are approved for tournament play and have a seamless construction.
Dura pickleballs are made with a single piece construction process, while ONIX Fuse and Gamma Photon pickleballs are made with two pieces fused together.
Pickleballs can be purchased in a wide variety of colors and sizes, including neon, white, and yellow.
They Can Be Recycled
You can recycle pickleballs, but you have to know what kind of plastic you’re using to create them.
For instance, the most common type of plastic is polyethylene terephthalate, which can be found in plastic soda and water bottles and peanut butter jars.
Other commonly recycled plastics include salad dressing bottles, microwavable food trays, and ketchup bottles.
Before you recycle your pickleball, check the recycling instructions on the packaging.
Most pickleballs are made from carbon fiber composites. Millions of pounds of these composites ended up in landfills.
But the Washington State Department of Commerce wanted to create a product from these leftovers.
Pickleball paddles are made from this lightweight, high-stiffened material. The sport is growing fast, so there’s no need to throw away perfectly good pickleballs. Recycling the ball and its packaging is easy and affordable.
They Lose Bounce Over Time
Many people assume that pickleballs will bounce consistently and last a long time, and this assumption is largely true.
The best pickleballs are made by leading manufacturers such as Franklin Sports, Dura, Onix, and Gamma. They use a rotational molding process to create the ball, ensuring the perfect roundness and consistent bounce.
They are also recyclable and can be recycled, unlike other tennis balls.
Other pickleballs have problems such as out of roundness, unpredictable flight patterns, and lack of playability in certain temperatures.
A pickleball is a complex piece of equipment to design and makes the game very difficult to play. While this may be true for other types of balls, the USPA has ruled that the USAPA-approved pickleballs must be recyclable.
The USAPA wants to ensure that the game continues to be played in public, and the official pickleball will comply with this policy.
There are Some Creative Recyclers
If you have an old pickleball, but don’t know what to do with it, you can make a new one! You’ll need some yarn, of course. A skein of inexpensive colorful yarn will make four or five balls.
Wrap the yarn around the pickleball five times, center to center. Then fill them up with blanket stitch. Then, wrap them again, center to center, and you’ll have a pickleball!
Most people throw away their pickleballs, but there are some creative recyclers of pickle balls out there. Some players use broken pickleballs to create medals, but don’t throw them away.
The recycling process begins by sorting recyclable materials. Each plastic has a number, ranging from one to seven.
These numbers tell recycling workers what type of plastic the material is and how to process it. Recycling collectors will use these numbers to determine the material’s worth.
However, embossing numbers on pickleballs will weaken the walls of the plastic and cause it to bounce strangely. If you’re going to reuse a pickleball, consider putting the recyclers’ information on the surface instead.