Barbour County Welcomes Recycleballs To Belington Industrial Park

The Barbour County Development Authority (BCDA) is happy to announce that RecycleBalls, a national initiative to recycle and reuse tennis balls, has officially relocated to the Belington Industrial Park. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, July 12 to celebrate the opening of their new recycling facility.

Relocating from Vermont to West Virginia was a strategic decision for RecycleBalls, driven by two factors. First, 44% of the U.S. population is within 500 miles of Belington, making operations more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. Second, Barbour County offered an especially warm welcome, taking the time to understand RecycleBalls' needs and providing invaluable solutions, including an affordable space and access to a skilled workforce with a can-do attitude.

"We’re excited to welcome RecycleBalls to our community," said Cheryl Wolfe, Executive Director of BCDA. "Their mission aligns perfectly with our own goals of promoting job retention, creation, growth, and entrepreneurship for the benefit of Barbour County residents."

RecycleBalls has taken a unique approach to solving the environmental issue posed by the approximately 125 million used tennis balls that end up in America's landfills each year. By establishing a scalable collection process with convenient courtside bins and prepaid UPS shipping labels, RecycleBalls makes it easy for tennis players nationwide to participate in recycling initiatives. Once collected, the tennis balls are processed into Green Gold, a crumb rubber product used in various applications such as tennis court construction and horse footing, with future plans for R&D into more green products. Additionally, some tennis balls are reused as dog toys.

Amber Higgins, Resource Specialist at BCDA, expressed her enthusiasm for the new partnership. "We view this as a win- win situation," she said. "RecycleBalls' presence in our county not only addresses an environmental concern but also stimulates our local economy by creating jobs and fostering innovation."

For more information about RecycleBalls, visit their website at recycleballs.org, or follow their social media on Facebook or Instagram.