Tennis Ball Recycling!

Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 27, 2015

reBounces announces a partnership with Ace Surfaces and Advanced Polymer Technology (manufacturer of Laykold, official surface of the Miami Open since 1984) that will bring the world’s first complete all-tennis recycling solution for the more than 130 million tennis balls consumed every year in the United States. Tennis balls that have bounced their last on the court will now leave a legacy for the bounce of future generations of tennis balls as they can now be ground up and incorporated as a component in tennis court construction and resurfacing. And the surfaces are the best in the business, combining excellent playability with durability, while offering a shock-absorption that is unmatched, even by clay courts.

Over 325 million balls are produced worldwide each year. So, the question that has always nagged tennis enthusiasts and environmentalists alike is what do we do with all those unwanted tennis balls? Tennis balls are only used for a few minutes in professional matches before being replaced with new ones. They last a bit longer for recreational players and tennis instructors, and though some are repurposed for dog toys, chair and walker legs and the like, virtually all tennis balls eventually find their way into the waste stream.

And that’s where the reBounces mission began. In 2008, as the company began preparing to launch their patented Green Tennis Machine – a bulk tennis ball re-pressurization system – they launched the first national tennis ball recycling campaign. Along with their commercial clients, world class tournaments such as the BNP Paribas Open and the Bank of the West Classic, and thousands of tennis ball recycling partners, over 9 million tennis balls have been reused and recycled to date. “Forming a partnership with reBounces is very exciting for us and we applaud their green mission”, says Andreas Schulze Ising, President and CEO of Advanced Polymer Technology – the parent company of Laykold surfaces. “It’s time for the tennis industry to wake up and be a part of the solution.”

“Our mission has always been to provide a cradle to grave solution for tennis balls”, says reBounces co-founder Cannon Fletcher who spearheaded the project along with Franz Fasold of Ace Surfaces. “Our re-pressuring technology allows our clients the opportunity to give tennis balls 2 or 3 extra lives, but at the end of the cycle you still end up with tennis balls that are beaten up and have no useful purpose. Now by putting those unwanted balls into tennis courts, we are providing an appropriate and final resting place.”

Up to 10,000 tennis balls are incorporated into a single cushioned court surface and can provide a 21% force reduction. By lessening the impact traditional hard courts have on a player’s joints, these courts will extend the tennis careers of players of all abilities, protect young players whose bodies are not fully developed, and perhaps pull a few seasoned players out of a too early retirement.

“Many years of ideas, discussions, trials and product development culminate in these high performance tennis courts” said Franz Fasold, owner of Ace Surfaces and the mastermind behind the implementation of the recycled tennis ball courts. “The Laykold Masters 5 and Laykold Masters 8 are designed to be world class and the systems can be installed as new construction or overlay existing, cracked tennis courts.”

Ace Surfaces will install the first of the Tennis Ball Courts at Tenafly Racquet Club in Tenafly, NJ at the end of August. Says Gordon Uehling, Founder and Managing Director of Tenafly Racquet Club, “We are extremely excited about the new Laykold Masters 5 courts we are installing at the Tenafly Racquet Club. We love being the first tennis facility in the country with tennis courts that are partially made out of recycled tennis balls. Those that find hard courts to be difficult on their hips, knees and back will be pleasantly surprised by the difference the surface will have on their body. We hope to see other clubs in the country follow our lead in making the sport more enjoyable while helping the environment”

About Advanced Polymer Technology (APT)

From the London Olympic stadiums to your own backyard, we provide people around the world with safe, reliable, and high-performing protective and recreational products. We continue to improve and expand our product line to keep up with the highest industry standards and, more importantly, the needs of our customers. With two ISO-certified manufacturing facilities and four global sales offices, the APT Group services the needs of the construction and chemical industries worldwide. APT utilizes its ISO 9001 Quality Management System to constantly review and improve its business procedures.

About Ace Surfaces

Ace Surfaces is revolutionizing the tennis courts you play on by creating, implementing and installing cushion shock pads using recycled tennis balls. Founded in 1993, Ace Surfaces set out to raise the standard in sporting and playing surfaces. Installing a higher quality sport surface system that considers the bodies of athletes, growing children and older tennis clientele are a large part of Ace Surfaces planning and designing of its surfaces. Quality, innovation and performance can be expected of Ace Surfaces sports surfaces, whether it be a tennis court, basketball court, futsal court or any sport surface installation.

About reBounces

Since, 2008 reBounces has been a leader in green tennis technology. The patented Green Tennis Machine process is a bulk tennis ball re-pressurization system that allows tennis facilities to extend the life of their practice balls and increase their bottom line. The company also plans to soon launch a Mini Green Tennis Machine with a size and price point targeting individual tennis enthusiasts and coaches alike. reBounces is also the first company to offer a free tennis ball recycling program for facilities and individuals in the continental United States who need to dispose of tennis balls responsibly.

How to Recycle Your Tennis Balls

Individuals, clubs or organizations can simply collect 200 balls, request a pre-paid shipping label at tennisballrecycling.com, and send the box of tennis balls to reBounces. The balls are then sorted and consolidated prior to their final trip to be ground. The ground up tennis balls are incorporated into the revolutionary cushion indoor/outdoor sports surfacing systems: Laykold Masters 5 and Laykold Masters 8. These systems can be installed as new construction or overlay existing, cracked tennis courts. Further details at tennisballrecycling.com