TreadLightly has launched Sports Ball, a new recycling program aimed at reducing the number of sports balls that end up in landfills each year.

Established in 2021, the organisation is run by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) with a mission to reduce waste generated by the sports industry.

Previously, TreadLightly only focused on recycling footwear.

The initiative aims to recycle 100 per cent of the ball, including rubber, leather and fibres, which will then be turned into recycled crumbs at local recycling plants.

Sports retailers participating in the initiative include Tennis Australia, Rebel Sport, Nike, Wilson, Dunlop, Sherrin and Spalding. Collection points can be found in participating Rebel stores and sports clubs nationwide.

The recycled sports balls collected are used to manufacture sustainable products such as rubber mats and retail flooring. 

Shaun Bajada, ASGA executive director, expressed pride in the initiative and how the sporting goods industry is working together to support sustainability.

“We urge everyone who loves sport to look around their homes for unused sports balls and recycle them rather than throwing them in the bin where they would eventually contribute to landfill,” he concluded.