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We have to stop normalizing tossing out paddles just because their grit’s worn off.
Look, pickleball is having a moment. A massive influx of players has turned this pastime into a phenomenon, complete with its own industrial age of flashy new gear, cutting-edge technologies, and the ever-elusive promise of the next best thing that will magically turn me into a 4.0 player (challenge level: impossible).
But there’s a not-so-hidden side effect of pickleball’s meteoric rise: waste. Mountains of discarded paddles, worn-out balls, and gear that lasts about as long as your last New Year’s resolution.
In this article, I dig into the state of sustainability in pickleball, spotlighting companies claiming to pave the way for a greener future. One of them, Reload, caught my attention with some lofty promises on their website. With one eyebrow raised, I reached out to their founder, Nick Bicanic, to see if they’re truly making a difference—or just wrapping their paddles in a shiny layer of greenwashing. Let’s find out if there’s a better path forward for the sport we love, or if we’re just stuck rotating through paddles and chasing the next best thing.
I reached out to Reload for their perspective on the business and the future of pickleball. This post contains affiliate links to support the site, but no brand sponsored or influenced the content. Reload provided a paddle for testing with no obligations or conditions. All opinions are entirely our own.
Before we dive in, let's take a look at the current sustainability efforts in pickleball.
Trickle-down sustainability: the UPA-A could make a difference
Let’s talk balls. The things that last maybe one or two sessions only to be thrown out in a landfill. Professional sports have a unique opportunity to lead the charge on sustainability, and if the UPA-A started using more sustainable balls, it could spark a trickle-down revolution.
Professional tournaments could set the standard—adopting and funding longer-lasting balls or figuring out how to repurpose cracked ones. Sure, we can’t even agree on which ball we like best right now (looking at you, Franklin x40 loyalists), but wouldn’t it be cool if we could rally around this one thing?
Imagine walking into your local mom-and-pop sports store and grabbing a sleeve of Selkirk S1 balls that don’t give up the ghost after two games. They’re not perfect—and very prone to going out of round—but they’re a step in the right direction.
But of course, UPA-A has other *cough* issues to worry about.
Pickleball Blue Book: a small step for sustainability
The Pickleball Blue Book is leaning into the "reuse" part of sustainability with a trade-in program that keeps old paddles out of the landfill. You send in your used paddle, and they donate it to charitable causes (they don’t disclose where they actually go, though). In return, you get a 20% discount on your next order at Get2Eleven. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s a step in the right direction. By giving paddles a second life, they’re not only reducing waste but also potentially introducing the game to new players through donation programs at schools or community centers.
If the mystery of where your paddle ends up doesn’t sit right with you, there’s always the DIY route: drop off your old paddles at a local public court bin or donate them directly to school programs in your area. It’s a simple way to make sure your gear gets reused while fostering the next generation of pickleball enthusiasts. Whether through Blue Book or your local community, every little effort helps move the sport towards a more sustainable future.
Swiftnets are cool, too
Then there’s Swiftnets, one of the most popular nets on the market. They’re a fantastic creation from the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC). They’re taking carbon fiber scraps—literal trash—and turning them into durable, aerospace-grade pickleball nets. These guys are doing it all: creating jobs, building high-quality products, and staying green.
While these initiatives are a step in the right direction, what excites me and you are probably the paddles….so let’s talk about that.
Reload: The most promising pickleball paddle tech right now
What it is: Reload is a patented, USAP-approved paddle system with replaceable topsheets. The system allows players to replace the grit-covered sheet instead of purchasing an entirely new paddle, with the goal of maintaining performance while reducing waste and long-term costs.
What’s cool about it: The reload sheets are recyclable—if you send them back to Reload. They’re working on a broader recycling program, but for now, it’s a step toward reducing the pile of dead paddles clogging landfills. And the paddle bases come with a lifetime warranty against core crushing (so unless you’re treating your paddle like a hammer or engaging in a rage-tapping duel, they’re designed to last). Reload confidently. says their paddle bases can last well over a year, significantly outlasting the 50-hour lifespan of most premium paddle (more on that later).
Christine Maddox (our Pro) who hammers the ball hard has been on the same paddle bases since day 1 and that's at about 8 months - Nick
Reload isn’t perfect, but it’s a genuinely innovative approach in a market still figuring out how to balance performance, sustainability, and durability. If players can get on board with the concept of reloading rather than replacing, this could be the start of something game-changing.
Challenging Reload’s claims: how they conducted testing
Like I mentioned earlier, I spoke with Reload’s founder, Nick, to evaluate the validity of their marketing claims, and it turns out they’ve backed them with solid research.
Nick and his team leveraged his background in science and carbon fiber laminates to investigate a common issue in pickleball paddles: surface wear (he's a Cambridge grad after all). Through testing, they found that it’s the textured resin layer on raw carbon fiber paddles—not the carbon fiber itself—that wears down with use.
The common myth: pickleballers don’t know they’re not actually hitting with raw carbon fiber
Pickleballers mistakenly believe the ball contacts actual carbon fiber because of the marketing of "raw carbon fiber," but in reality, the ball hits a woven texture embossed into the resin layer during the paddle’s curing process, created using a non-stick peel-ply sheet.
This resin, imprinted with a woven texture during the paddle’s curing process, degrades over time, leading to reduced surface effectiveness.
The problem, Nick highlights, is that players need to know how bad paddle degradation is on their OWN paddle.
Brett Warner (a pro player, and one of Reload's investors and advisors) says, "when you buy a Zane Navratil ProXR signature paddle - you think you're playing with the same paddle Zane is playing with. And that statement is true....for about 24 hours. After that he swaps paddles whereas you're playing with degrading grit"
Anyways, back to their testing
This is a rough summary of Reload’s testing methods; you can read the full details of how the tests were conducted here.
To measure this wear, Reload conducted tests using multiple industry-standard tools, including the Starrett SR-160 profilometer and higher-end systems like the Keyence VK-X300 and Filmetrics ProFilm 3D. And to simulate real-world usage, they tracked ball contacts during professional matches, using data from a Ben Johns mixed-doubles match to estimate that a high-level player averages approximately 540 ball contacts per day during 2.5 hours of play. These 540 contacts were used as the daily benchmark to assess wear.
The findings showed that paddle surfaces lose significant roughness over time:
- 10 days of play: 25–28% surface roughness loss
- 30 days of play: 45–50% surface roughness loss
The rate of wear varies depending on play intensity. Competitive players engaging in frequent topspin drives may experience a 25% reduction in surface effectiveness within just a week. In contrast, recreational players using less aggressive shots see slower degradation.
But…grit isn’t everything
For years, surface roughness has been seen as the key to paddle spin, but fellow nerdy folks at Pickleball Science says it’s only part of the story. While grit plays a huge role—especially for soft shots—spin also depends on factors like paddle stiffness, swing velocity, and contact time with the ball. Softer paddles with more flexible cores, for example, tend to grip the ball longer, generating more spin and power, even if their surface is identical to stiffer paddles.
That said, grit still matters. Paddles with worn or weathered grit can see a noticeable drop in performance, which is why pros at the highest level switch out their paddles every game. So while spin isn’t all about surface texture, it’s still a big factor in overall playability and longevity.
Back to sustainability: does Reload create less waste?
I drilled into yet another stat Reload is claiming on their website, and here’s the headline: they assert their paddles generate 800% less waste than a typical carbon fiber paddle.
Nick responded, “800% is a massive understatement—but we felt uncomfortable quoting an absurdly high number.”
He clarifies that Reload isn’t claiming their paddle base manufacturing process creates less waste than other paddles—yet. As he notes, “For now, we are working with some groundbreaking companies on using more recycled materials in the manufacturing of paddle bases, but we are not there yet.”
Instead, their case hinges on the total waste footprint over time. Based on their calculations, a player using six high-performance carbon fiber paddles per year generates around 1,320 grams of unrecyclable waste. By comparison, a Reload system—one paddle base (184 grams) and 12 reload sheets (18 grams each)—totals just 216 grams of waste, a significant reduction.
The future of Reload: Is removable the next revolution?
Nick asked me to picture this: pickleball paddles evolve to include removable hitting surfaces, much like tennis rackets transformed with the introduction of strings. It’s a compelling vision of the future, and Reload is betting on it becoming the norm. The idea is simple—extend the paddle’s life, reduce waste, and lower the cost of playing.
Here’s the math: with premium paddles averaging $200 and lasting about 50 hours, the cost of play comes out to $4 per hour. Reload’s current reloading system cuts that cost to $1 per hour, and they believe it could drop even further to $0.25 in the near future.
Right now, they’re sticking to one paddle design—a traditional elongated shape—and focusing on durability and quality and have definitive plans to expand their product line. As a relatively new player in the market, they’re taking a methodical approach, and their team includes some of the more experienced minds in the sport. While it’s too early to call Reload a game-changer, their approach offers an intriguing glimpse into what could be next for pickleball paddles.
Why hasn’t Reload taken off?
Reload’s vision makes a lot of sense—on paper. But buying a pickleball paddle isn’t always a rational decision. Let’s face it, most players aren’t thinking about waste reduction or cost-per-hour calculations when they’re browsing for their next paddle. They’re chasing the thrill of instant validation. That’s why I don’t think Reload has made the splash that we all expected earlier this year.
A shiny new paddle feels like a solution. It promises better spin, more power, and—maybe most importantly—the chance to blame your old gear for every missed shot last weekend. People don’t want to hear about long-term savings or reducing their waste footprint; they want results now. Reload’s concept of reloading surfaces is practical and forward-thinking, but for now, I feel it lacks the emotional appeal of grabbing a brand-new paddle off the shelf and imagining your game transforming overnight.
Pickleball’s current gold rush mentality doesn’t help either. As Nick points out, if consumers reward superficial updates with their wallets, companies have little incentive to invest in meaningful R&D. In the short term, it’s easier to market quick fixes than to educate players on long-term solutions like Reload.
For Reload to succeed, I believe they’ll need to bridge this gap—making sustainability feel just as exciting and rewarding as ripping the plastic off a shiny new paddle. Until then, the emotional pull of instant gratification will remain a tough competitor.