What’s a broken computer, pile of old tennis balls and a handful of plastic packaging have in common? For most people, it’s just junk. However, for the nonprofit Bin to Better, these everyday items are the exact opposite.
It all started with a simple idea among a few Fremont teenagers who believe that it’s in our hands to take upon fulfilling an environmental duty to the planet. Over the past two years, what they started has grown into a regional and international endeavor with 15 active chapters.
The organization has three programs: Bounce Back, Tech to Treasure and Eco-Filament. Each program targets a different type of discarded material with the goal of keeping it from entering landfills.
Bounce Back takes on the task of reducing sports equipment waste by collecting used tennis balls from regional clubs and academies. The initiative then repurposes the balls into chair-leg covers for classrooms, or toys for local animal shelters. This initiative has repurposed more than 80,000 balls so far.
Another program is Tech to Treasure. This initiative addresses the problem of electronic waste. By gathering unused devices and repurposing them into teaching tools during free interactive public workshops, the program aims to inspire a new generation of innovators. During the workshops, students have the opportunity to dismantle hardware to explore internal components and better their understanding of the device.
Rounding out the programs is Eco-Filament, which tackles plastic waste by collecting, cleaning, and sorting suitable materials to melt down into 3D printer filament for functional tools and sensory toys for students. Any plastic that is unsafe for conversion is routed through proper recycling and park cleanup channels instead.
“Reuse works best when it’s local,” says co-founder Pradyun Kanuparthi, a senior at Mission San Jose High School. “Every community has materials being thrown away and schools or shelters that need them. Bin to Better is basically us trying to give those things a second job before they hit a landfill.”
What started with local weekend drives quickly gained momentum after an 11-second viral reel demonstrated how a single tennis ball could become a classroom chair guard, dog toy or walker cushion. Suddenly, as requests flooded in from all around the country, and even the globe, the team launched an international chapter model, resulting in the expansion to 15 active chapters.
The nonprofit’s extensive outreach earned the 2026 CRRA Outstanding School Recycling Program Award from the California Resource Recovery Association. Even with such awards, the team believes that their true success lies in the knowledge gained from hands-on workshops, cleaner recreational places, and quieted classrooms.
