Tennis balls are resource-intensive to produce. Tennis players use a can of balls for one or two sessions and throw them away.  Neither the balls nor the containers are recycled most of the time.

At major tournaments, balls are changed every seven or nine games. A grand slam tournament typically goes through 50,000 to 60,000 balls in two weeks.

The ball containers are not recyclable. A recyclable container will not hold pressure as well as a non-recyclable one. Balls are not recyclable either. Once they are dumped in a landfill, tennis balls are likely to sit there for many years because they are not biodegradable.