Basketball Victoria partners with TreadLightly to reduce ball waste

Basketball Victoria has partnered with the TreadLightly program to support efforts to reduce the millions of sports balls that are discarded into landfill each year.

Basketball Victoria Chief Operating Officer Ben Pahl says that Basketball Victoria is passionate about securing the future of sport for generations to come and is looking forward to encouraging their community to step up and recycle their unwanted sports balls. 

Pahl enthused “we’re excited to be part of the TreadLightly program, helping our network to recycle their unwanted basketballs instead of just throwing them in the bin. With millions of basketballs manufactured each year, this is an easy way for basketball participants to step up and do their bit for the planet.”

TreadLightly is an industry-led national recycling program established in 2021, powered by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA). The program is dedicated to empowering Australian sports enthusiasts to reduce their environmental footprint by recycling their sports footwear and balls.

The TreadLightly Sports Ball Program was launched in August 2024 and has since recycled over 25,000 kgs of sports balls.

Basketball Victoria joins Australia’s leading sports retailers, manufacturers and sporting bodies including Tennis Australia, Rebel Sport, Nike, Wilson, Dunlop and Sherrin. Collection points can be found at participating Rebel stores and sports clubs across Australia.

Basketball Victoria has five collection locations in Victoria:

• Knox Basketball - State Basketball Centre, Wantirna South, Victoria

• Bendigo Basketball Association - Red Energy Arena, West Bendigo

• Geelong United - Beyond Bank Stadium, Belmont

• Ballarat Basketball Association - Minerdome, Wendouree

• Elham Basketball Association - Montmorency Secondary College Basketball Stadium, Montmorency

Shaun Bajada, Executive Director, ASGA shared “we look forward to working closely with Basketball Victoria to help promote the importance of recycling within the basketball community. This is an industry lead solution, and by bringing together sporting groups, athletes, brands and communities we can make a real difference.

“In six months, the TreadLightly Sports Ball program has seen incredible growth. We look forward to continuing the momentum, and we encourage other brands and leaders in the sports industry to join us in diverting balls from landfill.”

TreadLightly aims for 100% of sports balls to be recycled. The ball is cut into pieces, reusable components are extracted, including rubber, leather and fibres, and turned into recycled crumb at local recycling plants.

The sports balls collected will be recycled with sports and active lifestyle footwear, contributing to sustainable products such as rubber mats, retail flooring and more. All material is collected, recycled and manufactured in Australia.

TreadLightly also works closely with charity partners to donate sports balls to community groups in need across Australia.

To find your local collection point 

TreadLightly is a national recycling initiative that provides the inspiration and the means to address the sporting and active lifestyle industry’s environmental footprint by uniting and empowering brands, retailers and consumers to give preloved footwear a new life.

Basketball Victoria is the peak body for basketball in Victoria. Basketball Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation, is a member driven governing body and provides a range of services for over 140 affiliated associations in both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.