Being fined for releasing balloons

[Marmitecrackers]

I've just seen another thing on TV where people were releasing tonnes of balloons to mark some sort of anniversary. I'm sure it seems sentimental but I can't quite believe anyone still thinks it's ok to release loads of little pieces of rubber to be scattered all over the place.

If I popped 100 balloons and just left them in the street as I popped them people would be appalled. Yet where the heck do they think the released balloons are going to end up??

Am I being unreasonable fir thinking you should be fined for littering if you do one of these mass releases of balloons?

YANBU and I am also shocked that people still do this. I don’t even use balloons at parties!

Yes, absolutely. Littering aside they kill.

YANBU I'm staggered people think this is acceptable.

I've just seen a fb post about a dying calf that's suspected of having eaten half a burst "happy anniversary" balloon.

I used to live in a major Spanish city. Samsung let out hundreds of balloons for their marketing campaign less than 2 years ago. The street was filled with trodden on balloons, hate to think where the rest ended up.

YANBU. Balloon releases and Chinese lanterns are little more than dangerous littering.

I agree with you and I can't believe that people think it's ok to let off Chinese lanterns either.

I agree completely with you. There are so many things we need to stop doing as they are killing our planet.

Besides the animals killed by balloons and the littering problem. Helium is in short supply and is used in MRIs so shouldn’t be wasted on balloons.

Arrrgh. Pressed the wrong one... yaNbu of course!

It's the type of thing where people are shut down if they raise it as an issue. Mainly because it's usually related to a death.

I'm amazed people still do it

Totally agree, my friend's horse was hurt by one of those awful lantern things coming down on them in the middle of the night. In a field in the middle of nowhere north Scotland for petes sake, goodness knows how far it had travelled! They should be banned totally. And yes balloons are bad for all sorts of wildlife too.

@Cat0115

Arrrgh. Pressed the wrong one... yaNbu of course!

You can change your vote just by clicking on the opposite option.

YANBU. I suppose it's sheer thoughtlessness, but surely everyone is aware by now of the potential harm to animals by balloons and moreso those insane fire lanterns. That German zoo burning was awful.

I was in Hyde Park this summer and saw an event where hundreds of white balloons were released. I think it was a memorial event and the sentiment was nice but crikey, what were they thinking?

There are biodegradable balloons available. Are you sure the event you watched wasn't using them?
I was invited to a (virtual) baby shower and could not tell the balloon decorations were eco friendly had it not been highlighted by the hosts.

The memorial aspect just makes no sense tbh.

A loved one has died, so let's remember them by dropping lots of litter - said nobody ever But somehow when the litter is balloons and they're being dropped miles away it's ok?

No such thing as biodegradable balloons, whatever the packaging claims. Even in the right conditions they take months to break down, plenty of time for an animal to choke on them.

Totally agree with @chrislilleyswig

Because people will often do it 'In Memory' of someone who has died, then people mostly feel it is too difficult a moment to say anything, objecting to the practice, but you are absolutely right that it is a very poor practice.

Is there any evidence that biodegradable balloons are any less harmful to wildlife and other animals than regular balloons? I'm not sure people should be littering with anything, no matter how biodegradable it is.

Those lanterns as well cause a lot of fires

I would go even further, if it were up to me. I think balloons should be banned completely. Yes, I know children enjoy them (mine did), and they can look nice... but they are so bad for the environment, lowering the landscape and causing injuries and even death to wildlife.

I don't think people do think about where the balloons go after they drift up into the sky. It's a nice moment that makes them feel good and the thought process ends there.

When I was a young child I saw a balloon release and imagined them all floating off and literally disappearing up into the heavens which seemed wonderful.

Adults don't quite have that excuse but I do wonder if people who feel the need to do these things in memory of a loved one have that kind of mental image? I can see how it might be a comforting feeling.

Whereas the image of limp, half deflated balloons landing in people's gardens or killing wildlife is not super inspiring. I can only imagine that never crosses their mind.

It is sad it still happens and the variety of foolish things humans manage to find to do.

I hate them. The people who release them don't care a fig what anybody thinks because they are special with special reasons that trump anything else.

It's not a question of them not knowing the devastation to wildlife that balloons cause, they don't care.

Ditto the people who bleat on about 'but these ones are eco-friendly'. No. No they aren't. Not releasing them is eco-friendly.

Then there was the Cleveland Balloon Release in 1986 to break a world record. It certainly put Cleveland on the map...