Millie Smythe’s pickleball recycling project CRACK’D has bounced to its next stage – just in time for Christmas.
There’s now a Kickstarter available to pledge money and secure fantastic rewards.
“Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform, but in the way we’re using it, it works almost like a pre-order system – people pledge and can choose CRACK’D products to receive in return,” Millie tells Pickleball 52.
“After months of experimenting, improving the process, and refining the moulds, we’re finally ready to release our first collection. It includes keyrings, coasters, and carabiners, each made from recycled pickleballs and available in two shades of classic pickleball yellow to keep that connection to the original material.
“We’re starting small, but the vision is much bigger. To grow, we need to raise awareness of the waste problem, build a network of people collecting broken balls, and secure enough capital to scale sustainably. That’s why now is the perfect moment for a Kickstarter – it lets us share the story behind CRACK’D and gives supporters the chance to get their hands on the very first release of recycled pickleball products.”
Millie says a lot has happened since we last checked in with her.
“CRACK’D has grown far beyond the early concept stage. We now have multiple collection partners across the UK, including clubs, coaches, venues and tournament organisers. The network is growing every month, and it’s been amazing to see how excited the community is to support a circular solution.
“I was stoked to announce the milestone of hitting 50 partners not long ago and now, I’m even more excited that we’ve surpassed that and are working towards the 100 mark.
“Each partner is working with me on this mission to clean up pickleball and so far we’ve rescued around 2,300 pickleballs which is 60kg of plastic!
“On the production side, we’ve refined the process, finalised the first product line and are already working towards the next developments. That’s why getting the support on Kickstarter now is crucial to enabling these projects to happen.”
And there’ll be more CRACK’D products available soon, with these initial items just a starting point.
“Coming up with ideas and designs was the easy part! Reining in the ideas was more challenging but I have been working with sustainability-focused manufacturers who are very knowledgeable. We have been experimenting with what the pickleball material can do and seeing what design concepts are possible.
“This initial line-up is just the beginning. CRACK’D has plans to go bigger and better – saving more pickleballs in one hit!”
Plus of course there are already plans to expand CRACK’D even further.
“Beyond releasing new designs, the goal is to expand the collection network and build a system that makes pickleball recycling feel normal and accessible everywhere. Things are already moving fast! There’s growing interest from clubs and organisations overseas who want to be part of it – so 2026 will be about strengthening those connections and exploring how CRACK’D can operate on a larger, more global scale.”
