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It's time to ban balloon releases and sky lanterns (www.thenational.scot)

submitted 1 week ago by GreyShuck@feddit.uk to c/nature@feddit.uk

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

IT was less than a hundred years ago that people began releasing helium balloons as a means to celebrate. Since then, balloon releases have expanded to nearly every special occasion. From weddings to memorials, graduations to gender reveals, festivals to New Year’s Eve celebrations, each year sees millions of balloons released.

Helium balloons can float in the air for days and can land anywhere – land, trees, or water - littering the environment and becoming a danger to wildlife, farmed animals, and companion animals that may come across them and mistake them for something edible.

Studies show that more than 265 species of birds, fish, mammals, and marine turtles, including endangered and threatened species, have ingested or become entangled in marine debris, largely from balloon litter.

all 15 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 week ago

Even as a kid in the 90s it baffled me how it was acceptable practice to release what is essentially randomly deployed plastic waste.

[–] okamiueru@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

But then how can we easily tell who are shitty inconsiderate people and / or idiots?

[–] matelt@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

Good point, some people just don't give a shit unfortunately.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Plastic, yes, bad.

But a chinese lantern made of thin metal and paper, released on a wet winter day? I can't see that doing harm.

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Except when the metal framework ends up in the sea or tangled up in a tree.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

probably a stupid question but is metal bad for the sea?

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It's non-biodegradable litter so yes?

[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 week ago

Mild steel in seawater is aggressively biodegradable. Probably more so than a lot of biodegradable bioplastics.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

I was envisioning more that it wouldn't degrade, and was just an inert frame that coral could nucleate off.

But metal corrodes, which I suppose could be toxic indeed

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Yes but should be fucking fireworks like the easily impressed north Americans. HisssssPOWahhhhhh

[–] Pomal@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

One of these things is not like the other

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Chinese lanterns, while not quite as damaging as plastic balloons, still have environmental impacts like wildlife ingesting or becoming entangled in the debris, fires, litter etc

[–] Pomal@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wood and paper, go on

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

Which is still plenty to harm wildlife and cause fires