Stop Releasing Balloons: The Problem and the Developing Solutions
Photo by Deehooks from Deehooks.
Sage Osesek
Releasing balloons: a seemingly harmless act. They are vibrant, entertaining, and capture the attention of everyone as they create a splash of color in the sky. Unfortunately, people forget about balloons as they leave their line of vision, which creates the issues that they pose. For animals and the environment, balloons do not indicate celebration and happiness. They are a perilous cause of pollution and animal death.
Recently, balloons have been a significant danger in Florida, where animals are mistaking this plastic for food. In 2017, researchers rescued a sea turtle that swallowed a balloon. It took weeks of rehabilitation, but eventually, they could release this pollution victim back to the sea. Other animals weren’t so lucky. This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service article shows images of animals that fell prey to entanglement or ingestion of balloons. Balloons are also not biodegradable, meaning they will pose an environmental threat for a long period of time. So, if balloons are harmful to animals and the environment, what is being done to stop their release?
Significant progress has been made. A St. Pete Beach lawmaker has been pushing a bill to make it illegal to intentionally release a balloon. Offenders face a hefty $150 fine. If this bill gets passed, all balloons will be considered litter, even biodegradable balloons. Hunter Miller, the field campaigns manager for an ocean conservation nonprofit says, “To me, this is a commonsense bill that says we shouldn’t be intentionally littering.” Balloons are threatening the health of the environment and animals, and bills like these work to end this threat.
In California, Connecticut, and Tennessee, balloon releases are restricted or banned. This small fraction of U.S. states that recognize and act upon balloons’ threat to wildlife is astounding. Balloons affect all animals, from cattle that mistake them for food to birds that get tangled in their plastic traps. They hurt the environment. Balloons must come down, and when they do, they stay there for years. Florida is making significant progress to stop this plastic disaster, and other states need to follow its example to protect wildlife. Until then, don’t release your balloons—there are consequences even if they don’t immediately affect you.
Sources
Releasing balloons could become illegal under new Florida bill. Here’s why.
