Graduation season is almost here and that means ceremonies and celebrations. Many of these events will have balloon decorations, and while they are colorful and make things look festive, if balloons are released into the air they can cause damage to power lines, and harm or even kill wildlife and marine life.
When balloons are released into the sky they can travel for hundred or thousands of miles before they eventually pop. The balloon debris and the strings or ribbons that were tied to the balloons return to earth as litter. When they land in rivers, lakes or oceans, marine life mistakes them for food and swallow them and die or get tangled up in the ribbons and die. The Entanglement Network says that over 100,000 marine mammals die every year by either consuming or getting tangled up in balloons and plastic. Turtles, dolphins, fish, seals and even whales have died by ingesting balloons. They end up choking to death or the balloon blocks their digestive tract and they end up starving to death. Land animals and wildlife such as birds, dogs, cows, owls, horses and wolves have been injured or died as a result of eating balloons or the ribbons tied to them.
Mylar balloons are another dangerous problem if released into the air. These balloons are shiny, metallic and are electrically conductive. If they get tangled up in power lines it can cause circuits to shutdown and even spark fires. In 2021 Southern California Edison reported 1,103 outages caused by Mylar balloon releases. States like California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia all have laws against releasing balloons into the air.
There are fun alternatives to releasing balloons as a celebration or to honor a loved one that has passed. Fly kites, plant a tree or garden, use bubble wands, bubble blowers or simply hand out bottles of bubbles to family and friends instead of handing them balloons. Bubble bottles can be recycled, but most balloons cannot.
For more information on other ways to celebrate visit: www.balloonsblow.org/Outreach/
For more information on balloon recycling visit: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/are-balloons-recyclable.php
