2020 Vancouver Startup Tackles Golf Pollution with Biodegradable Golf Balls

January 31, 2020 1:16 pm Published by

Vancouver Startup Biodegradable Golf Inc has officially launched this week, solving the growing problem of golf ball pollution with a 100% biodegradable, water soluble golf ball. 

Golf pollution might seem like an odd problem to solve, but it has scientists alarmed. Golf balls don’t float, unlike most plastic pollution we see on our beaches such as bottle caps, coffee lids, cigarette butts, and straws. Since the golf balls sink straight to the bottom, they’re out of sight and out of mind – but this doesn’t make them any less harmful. Currents carry the balls miles away from the offending golfer, and tidal forces break the balls down on rocks generating microplastic – pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres, sometimes needing a microscope to identify. This microplastic then floats up, entering and harming marine life.  

“Sometimes the best solution to a problem is the simplest. A lot of people have tried to tackle golf ball pollution with divers, signage, policy changes, and fines, but these solutions haven’t really landed with people so far. If a golfer slices into a river, they’re unlikely to self-report, and diving is often dangerous for the divers, so they can sometimes leave difficult to reach golf balls alone. I see this product eventually replacing standard golf balls, but for right now they’re basically a fun option for working on your drive directly into the water,” said Mackenzie Bowes, Co-Founder and Wholesale Account Manager.

“We have the same anxiety as most people our age, I think. We feel that there are solvable problems in our global community that are just being left unsolved. It’s bizarre, and worrying, and we realized that we needed to be the change we want to see in the world. We’re both experienced with launching companies and startup culture from our tech days, and we’re looking to make a difference with those skills,” ~ Caitlin W.

 

The biodegradable golf balls are currently available exclusively through their website, www.biodegradablegolfballs.com in 24-packs for $69.99 Canadian. 

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This post was written by Mitchell Schols