# How to dispose of a grapefruit-sized rubberband ball? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 26, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281 "2008-09-26T03:56:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/1 "2008-09-26T03:56:41Z")
I’ve got a newspaper subscription. The papers come wrapped in rubberbands. Over the course of several years I’ve managed to build a nice rubberband ball the size of a grapefruit. Sadly, all the rubberbands are pretty overstretched and can’t really be reused for normal rubberband purposes, so I’ve decided to get rid of this thing. I could just toss it in the trash, but I thought maybe the folks on the SDMB could come up with a more creative (but serious) disposal method. I don’t want to do anything destructive or polluting, but otherwise, feel free to go wild. Thanks all, in advance. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/2 "2008-09-26T04:05:03Z")
Leave it lightly hidden on the grounds of an elementary school. You’ll make some kids day. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/3 "2008-09-26T04:38:59Z")
I’d like to buy it. It would look cool in my office. Lemme know. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/4 "2008-09-26T14:44:52Z")
I just want to know how the hell you make one. I work for the post office, so we have an abundance of rubber bands, and rubber band balls seemed to pop up all over the place, care of my bored cow-orkers, and they were invariably perfectly spherical. But I could _never_ make one that didn’t end up shaped like a mutant potato / dog turd / asteroid. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/5 "2008-09-26T14:58:05Z")
Sounds like perfect fodder for a White Elephant box. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/6 "2008-09-26T15:15:25Z")
Will it bounce? See how many times you can bounce it. Take bets. Profit. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/7 "2008-09-26T15:16:54Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > mutant potato / dog turd / asteroid. Band name, band name, band name! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/8 "2008-09-26T15:18:18Z")
Throw it off the Eiffel Tower, The Empire State Building or the nearest skyscraper (and film it). ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/9 "2008-09-26T15:20:16Z")
Step one: Put it in the freezer to make the rubber bands brittle. Then announce you’re going to drop it off a building, have someone videotaping, and drop the ball, which should break apart into smithereens instead of bouncing. Put the video on YouTube. Step two: ??? Step three: profit! ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/10 "2008-09-26T15:28:51Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Step one: Put it in the freezer to make the rubber bands brittle. Then announce you’re going to drop it off a building, have someone videotaping, and drop the ball, which should break apart into smithereens instead of bouncing. Put the video on YouTube. > > Step two: ??? > > Step three: profit! My original intention was to post that the thing should be dropped from a great height. But the freezing idea is pure genius! ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/11 "2008-09-26T15:51:25Z")
I’m letting my big one slowly degrade and am growing a new one. On different days it has different meanings, but it is a work of art. I even put it in an art show once. You start with a knot and add rubber bands going in different directions as you go. They do bounce. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/12 "2008-09-26T16:25:54Z")
I once saw a show where they dropped a large rubber band ball out of an airplane. I think it actually bounced slightly on impact. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-dispose-of-a-grapefruit-sized-rubberband-ball/465281/13 "2008-09-26T17:28:53Z")
**Rand Rover’s** suggestion could be expanded to be, “Sell it on eBay”. ETA: Freezing it in liquid Nitrogen would be very entertaining.