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# Teen-led group aims for Guinness World Record in Saturday sports ball recycling drive
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/teen-led-group-aims-for-guinness-world-record-in-saturday-sports-ball-recycling-drive/
- Published: 2026-09-16T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-16T16:00:00.000Z
- Author: Maaz Alin
- Tags: Non Profit, Wilmont

A teen-led environmental group will try to set a Guinness World Record for the most sports balls recycled in a single day during a free community event Saturday, the culmination of a months-long drive that has already diverted more than 15,000 used balls from landfills.

Another Bounce, a youth initiative of the international nonprofit Habits of Waste, will host the event from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 19 at [Reed Park in Santa Monica](https://www.smdp.com/downbeat-720-celebrates-25th-anniversary-with-new-season/). A live Guinness World Record adjudicator will be on hand to verify the collection as the group attempts to claim the record ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Organizers describe the gathering as the largest sports sustainability event of its kind. Although the effort began with tennis balls and pickleballs, the group has expanded its collection to all types of used sports balls.

"This began as a school project around social entrepreneurship where one of my friends was frustrated with the amount of tennis and pickle balls that were being discarded each week during his lessons," said Milan Ramesh, a junior board member. "We came together and created Another Bounce to make change."

The group has been gathering balls since February, dropping collection boxes at tennis courts across Los Angeles and picking them up once the boxes fill. Ramesh said the response has been enthusiastic.

"We noticed that people were relieved to find a solution for this huge waste problem and they are happy to know that they can be recycled," Ramesh said. Balls collected at Saturday's event will be sent for recycling and turned into new balls, sports court surfaces and other materials, the group said.

Beyond the collection drive, the teens have taken their cause to city council meetings to press for stronger sports ball recycling policies. On Aug. 24, the city of Malibu invited the group to submit a draft ordinance.

"I think it's a great idea and I'd like to invite this group to prepare something," Malibu Mayor Silverstein said. "Actually prepare a draft legislation and present it to our staff so we can have an agenda item with the actual proposal as opposed to just the concept otherwise we will waste time. ... I would support it."

Ramesh, who described the first council appearance as intimidating, said the experience grew easier. "At the end of the first meeting I became comfortable with speaking about the policies, because I am so passionate about it and I had my peers around me," he said.

A realistic mandate, Ramesh said, would encourage players to deposit used balls in bins at public courts, with cities responsible for collecting them and delivering them to specialized recyclers. Owners of residential courts should keep their balls and drop them at collection centers, Ramesh said.

The environmental stakes are significant, according to the group. Hundreds of millions of sports balls are discarded worldwide each year, and because the rubber, synthetic and felt materials are not biodegradable, they can take more than 400 years to break down in a landfill. As sports participation continues to grow, organizers say, so does the waste.

"Working with teens who care deeply about the planet and showing them that there are effective pathways to create change is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career," said Sheila Morovati, CEO and founder of Habits of Waste. "Solving a 'habit of waste' that is so relevant to their daily lives ... helps this next generation understand the power they hold to be changemakers."

To encourage donations, organizers will give free ice cream to every family or community member who brings a grocery bag full of used sports balls. Guests can also take home free pickleballs from Selkirk.

The event will feature pickleball matches, games, arts and crafts, and a live DJ. Recycling partner Ridwell will haul the collected balls to a recycling center afterward.

Habits of Waste, which previously led the #CutOutCutlery campaign behind California's AB 1276 limiting single-use plastic utensils, said the sports ball effort reflects its broader mission of shifting wasteful habits. More information about the organization is available at [anotherbounce.org](https://anotherbounce.org/?ref=smdp.com).

Free registration for Saturday's event is available at[ ](https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E357721&id=71&ref=smdp.com)[https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E357721&id=71](https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E357721&id=71&ref=smdp.com).