Golf Ball Recycling: Driving Change One Golf Ball at a Time
In a revolutionary step towards a more circular golf industry and in alignment with R&A’s Golf 2030 Strategy, Golf Ball Recycling (GBR) offers golf businesses an alternative to landfill.
The Reuse Repurpose Recycle program stands as a beacon for sustainable change within the golfing community – taking the small and mighty golf ball and giving it a second life. They’re often overlooked as a source of pollution and waste, with plastic water bottles and tees often taking the spotlight, but the number of golf balls landing in waterways and landfills continues to rapidly rise each year.
At the heart of the program are the 3-Star Partners – golf clubs and courses championing environmental responsibility in the field, while actively contributing to a paradigm shift in sustainable golf course management. These 3-Star Partners are clubs that join GBR in the war against landfill by signing up for the golf ball recycling service and implementing a GBR-supported Materials Management Plan.
How does the service work?
It’s simple: a GBR bin is placed on-site, unwanted golf balls are collected, and then recycled for use in new products. Depending on your needs, two different services are offered, along with different collection frequencies and the flexibility to adjust the frequency, depending on how quickly the bin fills up.
The Reuse service is a credit-back system on eligible, reusable golf balls. Once collected, the balls are graded, and you’ll receive any applicable credit payments on your next collection. All end-of-life golf balls are shredded into an aggregate to be used in new products.
The Repurpose service is for end-of-life golf balls. All golf balls collected are recycled, and no credits for eligible golf balls are applied.
What happens to end-of-life golf balls?
Unusable and damaged golf balls are shredded into an aggregate of varying sizes, with the entire golf ball is recycled – from the inside core, to intermediate layers and cover coating.
The golf ball aggregate is then used in different applications and products, such as:
- Pavements
- Soft fall surfaces
- Acoustic panels
- Creative projects
- Road bollards
- Outdoor furniture
- Mosaic features
Previous projects have included recycled golf balls in walkways at Melbourne Golf Park, and stormwater lids made of 100% recycled golf balls installed at a Victorian primary school.
The uses are endless and GBR continues to explore potential ways of giving golf balls a second life.
What are the benefits of recycling golf balls?
Aside from cleaning up the environment and aligning your business with sustainability, GBR records the amount of carbon emissions avoided and golf balls diverted by each customer. This data can be used in annual reports and for mandatory sustainability reporting, offering a solid and quantifiable number as evidence of your sustainability efforts.
The 3-Star Partners (customers signed up for service and implementing a GBR-supported Materials Management Plan) have access to additional benefits, such as Ecotick Certification and a complimentary collection bin to recycle end-of-life clubs and machinery (when applicable).
How do you sign up?
Sign up for a Golf Ball Recycling bin by contacting sales@golfballrecycling.com.au or visiting www.golfballrecycling.com.au.
About Golf Ball Recycling
Golf Ball Recycling is Australia and New Zealand’s largest, and first, full-cycle golf ball recycling company. We provide waste management solutions for golf companies and collaborate with local councils, and innovative companies, to transform shredded golf balls and close the circular loop.
Read another story from Golf Ball Recycling:
Golf Ball Recycling: Golf has Always Been More Than Just a Game.
