FGCU senior launches eco-friendly pickleball recycling program nationwide

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — FGCU is expected to make history by hosting a record-breaking five commencement ceremonies this weekend.

More than 2,500 students will graduate, marking the largest commencement in university history. One of them is the founder and CEO of a pickleball business, which he was able to launch with the help of FGCU.

WINK News reporter Camila Pereira met with Dillon Rosenthal to learn about his sustainable venture. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the nation and one that's contributing to hundreds of thousands of pounds of plastic waste every year, but Rosenthal is working to change that.

"This time last year, I started playing pickleball a little bit more, taking the game a little more seriously, and I started cracking a bunch of balls," Rosenthal said. "Every time I'd lift up the little flap to the trash can to throw a broken ball away, I'd see another 25-30 in there. So I figured, why not kind of attempt to turn pickleball into the world's first sustainable sport."

That's how Rosenthal founded BounceBack Pickle, the first recycled pickleball, at 22 years old. Long-time players like Sunny Molle got the chance to try it out.

"I'm telling you, I love this pickleball," Molle said. "It's bouncy, it's firm, it's easy to hit."

It's been a year of learning for Rosenthal. He said when he first started, he didn't know what to expect or what people would expect.

"Since then, we're now collecting over 80 facilities across multiple states," Rosenthal said. "We have clubs and facilities, players reaching out to us all the time to get recycling bins at their facilities."

Rosenthal recently launched a nationwide recycling program and partnered with nonprofits. He said Jamie Foxx even has a recycling bin at his backyard courts and plays with the recycled pickleballs.

"My dad's always been in, like, the entrepreneurial space, and it was kind of a running joke in my family, like, oh, when are you gonna come up with your million-dollar idea?" Rosenthal said. "And this could potentially be the one."

It's a business he's grown with the help of FGCU. Rosenthal said the entrepreneurship school is phenomenal, and the professors and mentors they've connected him with have been invaluable to everything he's been doing so far.

What he's looking forward to now is Saturday. Rosenthal said walking across the stage knowing he's done and out of the classroom so he can go full-time on his business is exciting.