Soccer has a massive audience globally which is why soccer equipment and apparatuses record millions of sales every year. We are certain that the demand for jerseys and soccer balls will never stop appreciating.
Key Takeaways
- Over 40 million soccer balls are shipped around the world every year
- Old soccer balls can be used as a flower vase for growing beautiful flowers around the house
- Manufacturers often accept old soccer balls for recycling
Statistics show that more than 40 million soccer balls are sold every year. This is a blessing to manufacturers and retailers but can also be a curse to the environment if outdated or spoiled soccer balls aren’t properly disposed of or recycled.
Recycling is a creative way of converting waste materials into similar products or other commercially useful products. This practice is important for environmental sustainability because it reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Archaeological findings show that recycling has been in existence since the fourth century BC. In modern times, many developed countries have put up laws that encourage recycling, waste reduction, and the reuse of old products.
Considering the fact that soccer balls can wear out quickly if they are played regularly, waste soccer balls can pile up quickly. If you don’t know what to do with old soccer balls, sooner than later, the pile of old soccer balls will become a source of frustration.
Today, we shall reveal to you how creative people around the world are reducing waste by recycling their worn-out soccer balls into beautiful crafts.
“What type of craft?” you may ask. Keep reading to find out!
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What can you do with old soccer balls?
A well-built soccer ball can last anywhere from 3 months to several years depending on how frequently it is played and how well you take care of it.
However, every year, leagues unveil new soccer ball designs for that season. FIFA does the same thing before the start of every World Cup.
Technically, at the end of every season, your soccer ball can be considered old—if you are a die-hard soccer fan that wants to stay with the trend of the game.
For those that don’t give a hoot about the trends of the game but just want to enjoy the sport, there will come a time when your soccer ball will no longer be playable.
This usually happens either because the outer covering has burst open or because they have become too worn-out that the ball no longer bounces properly. Thankfully, when soccer balls get old, they can be used for other purposes.
It is also important to mention that soccer balls are often made from recyclable materials. Some manufacturers are also increasing their effort in recycling their old products as well as plastic pollutants in an attempt to reduce environmental pollution.
For example, the soccer gear manufacturing giant Nike is making a brand of shoes that are made almost entirely from recycled plastics.
Soccer balls are recyclable because most commercial soccer balls are made from cotton, leather, rubber, and plastic. So, it is possible to tear them down into their components and recycle each component separately.
It will be beneficial to our planet if soccer enthusiasts learn alternative uses of old soccer equipment like soccer balls.
With all that said, let’s now properly look at what people are already doing with their old soccer balls. We believe you will gain useful ideas from them after reading.
Take them to a recycling plant
If you feel like a soccer ball has exceeded its usefulness, throwing it into a garbage bin should be the last thing you should think about. Taking such balls to a recycling plant is a better option because by doing so, you are saving the entire planet.
Soccer balls are usually made from recyclable materials like butyl bladder, latex, cotton linings, polyester, rubber, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane. You might not know what to do with such materials when a ball gets old but recycling plants know exactly how to reuse them.
Components of old soccer balls can be shredded and remodeled into vehicle tires and other useful products. Whenever you have old soccer balls you intend to do away with, enquire from any recycling plant near you to know if they accept them.
You might even make some money from submitting your old soccer balls for recycling. Little acts like this might seem insignificant but in the long run, diminutive acts like this transform the world for good.
Refurbish and use them for home decoration
If you have a couple of old soccer balls lying around the house and causing a nuisance, you can turn them into beautiful works of art and use them for home decoration.
This idea doesn’t need much craftsmanship to accomplish, all you need is a set of oil paint and a paintbrush. After making sure that the ball is clean and dry, use your oil paint and brush to paint beautiful patterns on the ball and allow it to dry.
Last update on 2023-11-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Once dry, construct a flat stand and use liquid glue to attach the ball to the stand. You can place this stunning work of art at strategic angles in your house and watch it beautify the house.
Turn old soccer balls into a flower vase
Handy craftsmen can convert old soccer balls into a lot of useful items. You can give them your old soccer balls and watch the balls converted into beautiful everyday items like hats, necklaces, bangles, bags, shoes, etc.
One product that we have seen often is people converting old soccer balls into flower pots. It all begins with making a circular hole on the ball.
The ball is then glued to a stand with the opening facing up. The flower is inserted into the ball through the opening and the ball is filled with loamy soil. There you have your flower pot.
Use them for Halloween lamps
During Halloween, you will find people carving pumpkins into monsters and placing orange bulbs in them so that it feels as if the monster is alive. You can also carve monsters into your old soccer ball.
We strongly suggest that you first draw the shape you want to carve before starting your carving. Any mistake made during the carving cannot be changed.
Once you have carved what you want, insert an orange bulb into the ball and watch your monster come alive in the dark.
Donate them
You can donate your old soccer balls to animal rescue organizations or other similar nonprofit organizations in the country.
Old soccer balls can be used by animal rescue organizations in keeping rescued animals busy. Also, what may seem old to you can feel new to the less privileged.
Animals such as dogs and monkeys usually enjoy playing with balls. Even soccer balls which are incapable of holding air can be useful to animals. If you have old soccer balls, ask a local animal rescue organization to know if they need balls.
There are also a few nonprofit organizations in the country whose job is to collect and refurbish old sports equipment. They redistribute such sports equipment for free to poor neighborhoods and disadvantaged soccer teams for use.
Donating your soccer ball for such courses isn’t only exemplary but also refreshing. There are hundreds of organizations that collect old soccer equipment. You will easily find them through a generic search on Google.
Ship them back to the manufacturer
Lots of people don’t know that they can ship their old soccer balls back to their manufacturers. The good part is that this doesn’t require lots of procedures.
The first step is getting cardboard boxes that are large enough to contain your old soccer ball. Put all the old balls in them and ship them back to the factory where they are made.
You can ask your neighbor or friends to send their old balls to you so that you can mail all of them at once using a single box. By doing so you all can share the cost of shipping the ball back to the manufacturer.
- Set of 6 cardboard boxes for moving, storage, and shipping; large size; dimensions measure 20 x 20 x...
- Ideal for packing and moving dry items such as files, clothing, electronics, and more
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Last update on 2023-11-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Conclusion
Old soccer balls can also be converted into children’s toys, chandeliers, planters, flower vases, lamp stands, and even furniture. Repurposing old soccer balls helps to preserve memories the ball once held.
Imagine all the beautiful things you might have done with all the old soccer balls you threw away in the past. There would have been a little less waste in the world if the millions of damaged soccer balls that are thrown away every year are reused and recycled.
While our goal is to give you ideas on what you can do with old soccer balls, feel free to allow your imagination to run wild. If you ever discover something new you can do with an old soccer ball, feel free to share it with us.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!