Can a bowling ball be recycled? That question bothered me for a while, mostly because of the boxes of old balls in my closet. I soon found out that bowling balls can't be recycled the way a plastic bottle can.
Bowling balls don't belong in your recycling bin, and recycling plants have no way to turn them into anything new. But the good news is that an old ball is rarely just trash.
Most of my old balls are still in those boxes. Twice, when our bowling center ordered a bulky waste container, I used the chance to throw out quite a few of them. Many others went to other bowlers, and I have bought a few used ones myself and given them a second life.
So before an old ball ends up in a landfill, it's worth knowing why it can't be recycled and what else you can do with it.
Why can't bowling balls be recycled?
Two characteristics make bowling balls very hard to recycle.
The first is what they are made of. A bowling ball is not one material. It's a core and a coverstock built from several plastics, mixed with fillers and additives such as calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, glass beads, pigments and even scents. Our guide to what bowling balls are made of explains each layer. Recycling works best with clean, single materials, and a bowling ball is the opposite of that.
The second is the type of plastic. Polyester, urethane and reactive resin are thermosetting plastics, or thermosets. When they cure, they form permanent chemical bonds, so they hold their shape even when heated. You can't simply melt them down and mold something new. A 2022 review of thermoset recycling describes it as a problem that is still unsolved, with most thermoset waste ending up in landfills.
Mixed materials plus thermoset plastic: that combination is why bowling balls are unsorted and non-recyclable.
Can you put a bowling ball in the recycling bin?
No. Plenty of people try anyway. The Sims recycling plant in Brooklyn, one of the largest in the US, pulls out around three to four bowling balls a day, roughly 1,200 a year. They can't be processed there, so they are sorted out and sent to landfill.
A ball in the recycling bin doesn't get recycled. It just takes a detour to the same place and adds work for the people sorting your recyclables. And a heavy ball rolling through sorting machinery is not something anyone wants.
Is your old bowling ball really finished?
Often it isn't. Many balls get retired because they stopped hooking the way they used to, not because they are broken. A lot of that lost reaction comes from oil soaked into the coverstock and a worn surface.
Before you give up on a ball:
- Clean it and remove the oil. Our guide to bowling ball maintenance at home shows how.
- Have it resurfaced. A pro shop can bring the surface back close to box finish.
- Try it on different lanes. A ball that feels dead on a heavy pattern can still work well on drier lanes.
If you are not sure how much life a ball has left, our guide on how long a bowling ball lasts covers the signs. A cracked ball is a different story, and our article on why bowling balls crack explains when a repair makes sense.
What to do with an old bowling ball
If the ball is still in good shape, the best thing you can do is keep it rolling. Here are your options, starting with the most useful.
Give it or sell it to another bowler
This is where bowling balls are surprisingly useful. A ball that no longer suits your game can be exactly what someone else needs. Many league and beginner bowlers would rather get a ball for free, or for around $20 to $50, and have the holes filled and redrilled for their hand than buy a new one. Many of my old balls went to other bowlers this way, and I have bought used balls myself and given them a second life.
Plugging and redrilling is a normal pro shop job. The old holes are filled with plug material, and the ball is drilled again to fit the new owner's hand. Ask your pro shop first, though. Not every ball is worth it, and a ball that has been plugged several times or has cracks around the holes may not be a good candidate.
Donate it to a youth or school program
The USBC calls donating to a local youth or high school bowling program the best option for old equipment. Just make sure the new bowlers know the ball needs to be fitted to their hand at a pro shop. Your local bowling center or club usually knows who could use it.
Keep it as a spare or practice ball
An old, weaker ball is not useless in your own bag. Older urethane and milder reactive balls can be handy on dry lanes or later in a block when the lanes break down. A plastic ball also makes a good spare ball for straight shots at corner pins. If you are rebuilding your bag, our bowling ball arsenal guide shows how the pieces fit together.
Turn it into something else
When a ball can't be bowled with anymore, it can still be fun. Bowling balls make solid garden ornaments, doorstops, bases for lamps or mosaics, and even game pieces. The USBC mentions Mondo Croquet, an outdoor game played with bowling balls. Everything is a matter of your imagination.
Throw it away properly
If none of that works, a bowling ball goes in the regular waste, not the recycling. Because it's heavy, check your local rules. Many cities collect it with bulky household waste or accept it at a waste drop-off site. Bowling centers sometimes clear out old equipment with a bulky waste container too, which is how a few of my own old balls finally left the closet.
How bowling balls went from wood to plastic in a first place?
Plastic's history is a little over a century old. Belgian-born chemist Leo Baekeland created Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, in 1907. Since then, plastics have become essential to daily life and a major source of pollution at the same time.
Bowling followed the same path. The earliest balls were made of wood, and rubber took over in the early 20th century. In the second half of the century, plastic arrived. Polyester was durable, resistant to wear and cheap to make, which made it a natural choice for bowling balls. Polyester balls went fairly straight, but players loved them because they were almost indestructible.
Then bowling changed. Manufacturers wanted covers that grip the lane better and hook more near the pins, and more reaction meant more strikes. Urethane covers followed in the 1980s and reactive resin in the 1990s. These covers create far more hook, but they also absorb lane oil and lose reaction over time, so bowlers replace them much more often than the old polyester balls.
More balls bought means more old balls collecting dust, which brings us back to the question this article started with.
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FAQ
Can bowling balls be recycled?
Not through normal recycling. Bowling balls are made of several thermoset plastics mixed with fillers, and thermosets can't be melted down and reshaped. Reusing, donating or repurposing an old ball is the better option.
Can I put a bowling ball in the recycling bin?
No. Recycling plants can't process bowling balls, so they are sorted out and sent to landfill. One large plant in Brooklyn pulls out around 1,200 bowling balls a year.
What can I do with an old bowling ball?
Give or sell it to another bowler, donate it to a youth or school program, keep it as a spare or practice ball, or turn it into decor. If it's truly finished, throw it away with your regular or bulky household waste.
Can an old bowling ball be redrilled for someone else?
Usually, yes. A pro shop can plug the old holes and drill new ones for the new owner's hand. Ask the pro shop to check the ball first, especially if it has been plugged before or has cracks.
How much is a used bowling ball worth?
Most used balls are worth little money. In my experience, many league and beginner bowlers are happy to get one for free or for around $20 to $50 and have it plugged and redrilled.
