Green Paintball: A Call to Action
-Michael Zapantis
Face it. Paintball is by far the dirtiest sport in existence, next to, of course, professional dumpster diving.
A player’s dedication to the sport is most often determined by how much mold is growing on his arm
pads, and how many flies he attracts at the start box. Some of the most glorious tournament wins are
those in the worst weather conditions possible, where we are rolling around in the mud like sows after
lunchtime. On top of that, the footprint paintball leaves on the immediate earth surrounding it is
unmistakable, so much so that tournament venues that allow such destruction to their property are hard
to come by, and when they are, they are the most fickle landlords. One cannot deny the amount of trash
that is the aftermath of paintball. Between batteries, paintball packaging, water bottles, and the like,
paintball is epitomized by littering. After all, the sport we love so dearly revolves around spraying 12.5
balls per second’s worth of biodegradable filth into the air and onto the ground. So why can’t we clean up
after ourselves? It has been common knowledge for
quite some time now that the current global
economic and waste management condition is
destroying the planet. Other industries have caught
on to the concept of “going green,” for more than
just environmental reasons. Why hasn’t the
paintball industry caught up to this concept?
Somebody needs to be held accountable for
reducing the carbon footprint paintball has on the
planet. And that somebody is everyone. Here are
some suggestions I have for the paintball world that
we all should take into consideration.
Paintball Park/Venue Littering: Would you
throw batteries on the ground in your backyard?
Would you chuck a banana peel on your bed? Then
why would you do so at your local paintball field, or
even worse, an out-of-industry venue (Assuming
that you hopefully answered “no” to the above
questions.)? This is holding players directly
responsible for their actions, but also offering up
some solutions for teams, players, and field owners
alike. Field owners should provide plenty of
garbage containers near the parking and pitting
areas, and players should be mindful to place any
rubbish into those containers. Field Staff should
clear out garbage bins regularly to prevent overflow.
Paint boxes should be broken down by players and
placed NEXT to these garbage bins, NOT INSIDE.
Batteries are not biodegradable, and are, in fact,
extremely toxic. While it is much better to throw
your old loader and marker batteries in the garbage
as opposed to on the ground, there is an even
greener solution. There are battery recycling
centers all over America, where you can drop off all
your old batteries so that they can be disposed of properly. Examples of such places are Whole Foods,
Staples, and Radioshack. Have your team designate a responsible teammate to collect all used batteries
from the end of practice and dispose of them properly. Field owners should provide battery-specific
collection bins, and dispose of them properly as well (4).
Rechargeable Batteries: Why have rechargeable batteries not yet become standard features on all
high and mid range equipment? I know that attempts have been made in the past to incorporate this idea
to paintball, with limited success. I know that not including rechargeable batteries shifts the some of the
unit cost of each item over to the consumer, but I feel that it is the paintball equipment manufacturer’s
ethical responsibility to provide a green approach to their products. At the very least offer a rechargeable
battery option for your high end equipment.
Paintball Packaging: This is where the responsibility shifts to the paintball manufacturers, and this call
should be taken quite seriously. It has been the norm in tournament paintball for some time now that
teams and players shoot a lot of paintballs. It is typical for one X-Ball or 7-man team to shoot over 10
cases of paint per one day of practice, and for these same teams to shoot 20-40 cases of paint during the
prelims of a national tournament. Paintball packaging provides protection of its precious cargo similar to
that of a tank, with plenty of cardboard, plastic, and silica gel packets to ensure that each and every
paintball makes it to your loader scuff-free. With that said, there are plenty of ways to make paintball
packaging less harmful to the environment.
The first and most obvious solution is to
use packaging that is more mindful to
the environment. Using cardboard that
is from certified, sustainable sources is
a great option that trumps recycled
cardboard (recycling often uses more
energy, thus resulting in more
pollutants than what would occur if you
just threw it away)(2). Also, in an
approach outlined by the Cradle to
Cradle concept (1b), paintball
manufacturers can offer a program to
recycle used paintball packaging.
Paintball fields and tournament series
alike would, under this program, be able to send back broken down and intact boxes so that they can be
refilled with fresh paint. Another key element to paintball packaging is the plastic bags that the paintballs
are kept airtight in. Industry leaders should switch over to biodegradable versions of the same bagging,
so that even when that renegade empty bag gets blown away in the wind, one can be assured that it is
not going to sit around in the woods for the next 10 years (3).
The second solution, which might seem a bit more revolutionary, is to package tournament paint in
greater quantities. Can somebody please explain to me why are we still packaging paint in 2000 round
increments? At the very least, tournament grade batches should be packaged in 4000-5000 round
increments, since most players carry on the average 5 man line carry 700 rounds. This would not only
reduce the environmental footprint paintball has, but it can also financially benefit the companies
producing paintballs through reduced packaging costs.
These modest proposals are only the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other ideas and solutions that
can be implemented towards “green” paintball. With all of the talented and bright minds we have in this
sport, I am sure that we can work together to figure out what is the best course of action. The future of
our planet, and our sport, rely on people coming together and changing for the better.
Resources:
1. Cradle to Cradle:
a. http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm
b. http://www.mbdc.com/
2. Forest Stewardship Council: http://www.fsc.org/
3. Friendly Bags: http://www.friendlybags.com/
4. Environment, Health and Safety Online: http://www.ehso.com