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?

Agreed

@CareerFuckerUpper Yes - see my previous post for a link... let's get it to 100,000 then it might be debated in parliament.

There needs to be a massive public information campaign on this issue, alongside the problem of people littering the ground with disposable masks. People need to realise that polluting the air with debris is as bad as throwing litter on the ground, and that things don't cease to be a problem because the wind carries them out of sight.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the majority of responses saying it is littering and potentially dangerous for farm animals etc.
My concern is the helium. It is a limited resource, and is lost to space when it filters up and out of the atmosphere. Helium is needed for cooling things, like the magnets and stuff in MRI scanners. Once it’s gone it’s gone. And to use a finite resource for frippery (balloons) rather than health care is immoral.
I’m no scientist, and I might be talking a load of rubbish, but this is what I understand to be true.

@Theoldwrinkley

I was pleasantly surprised to see the majority of responses saying it is littering and potentially dangerous for farm animals etc. My concern is the helium. It is a limited resource, and is lost to space when it filters up and out of the atmosphere. Helium is needed for cooling things, like the magnets and stuff in MRI scanners. Once it’s gone it’s gone. And to use a finite resource for frippery (balloons) rather than health care is immoral. I’m no scientist, and I might be talking a load of rubbish, but this is what I understand to be true.

I am a scientist, and it's my understanding too.

I just did some research re "eco friendly" balloons. Apparently the ones made of natural latex take around 6 months to biodegrade... so, less than most plastics, but still way too long, IMO. Such a waste of resources anyway, especially the helium filled ones.

To me, balloons fall into the same category as plastic toys given away with children's meals - 5 minute novelties that are quickly discarded. We need to move society away from indulging children (and some adults) with pointless plastic tat.

@Cat0115

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

Me too! I couldn't believe it when I did it but at least I'm not alone in making the mistake. Definitely YANBU.

@Defenbaker it is more the danger that animals can choke on them for 6 months.

Animals both land and sea die eating these. Not to mention that they never degrade. Sadly some people just want to do what hey want to do and f#$& everything else. Same with fire works and Chinese lanterns - animals die, tons of people and animals are petrified, they cause fires, injuries and dangerous litter but people still want to use them because they seem to think they have more of a right to do it than the other creatures need protecting from it.

@JoeWicksSurvivor Exactly, they are hazardous to wildlife for months, whether on land or in the sea.

Also, while on the subject of plastic tat, many plastic toys can't be recycled because they contain many different types of plastics, and it is not viable to separate them all. Plastic has lots of uses, it's not an evil thing in itself, it's the way it's allowed to litter the environment that is the problem.

@Defenbaker. Thanks I've signed the petition too
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/310556
Let's get this debated and hopefully end the release of this dangerous damaging litter.
Local donkey sanctuary lost a little donkey that choked to death on a balloon

Organised littering is what it is. I hate it and get so cross when I see balloon releases. DDs school planned one for the retirement of the headteacher. A few parents objected and eventually they changed their minds after giving us all the guff about the balloons being biodegradable.

YANBU, balloons and Chinese lanterns are generally regarded as harmful to wildlife so I'm in agreement with you.

@Cat0115

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

You can just press the correct intended button after your initial mistake. Your preferred vote will then appear

The wildfires in California were allegedly sparked by Chinese lanterns for a gender reveal party. Lot of guilt on that poor baby. And I had to look up what a gender reveal party is. It sounds pathetic. Particularly when it causes such terrible mayhem...

@Defenbaker

I have signed the petition which currently has over 11,000 signatures - link attached.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/310556

Please sign and share the link - it will be debated if 100,000 signatures are reached.

Signed.

So wrong on so many levels

The shortage of helium is a major problem!!!

The environmental impact of plastic/metallic un-biodegradable balloons littering our countryside is unacceptable.
I’ve had a massive metallic ‘number’ balloon lodged in the top of a tree in my garden for years...it’s an eyesore, it won’t biodegrade, it makes a racket of noise in the wind and frightens off all birds. The dangling strings can be hazardous and fatal to wildlife.
If you ‘release’ a foil/plastic thing......how do you not know that’s called ‘littering’ and is detrimental to the environment?

@Crunched

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 problem with that is that they have to sit to degrade in the first place, and they could easily kill an animal before they do. They just aren't safe.

A friend of mine got tons of abuse and a guy stalking her page because she brought this up on an article about a balloon release after a child’s death. There are better ways, surely? When did balloon releases become a big thing?

I agree with you.

Totally agree. I was out walking recently and found a bird on the ground, unable to fly as it was tangled in the long string of a deflated balloon. Luckily I was able to cut it free, but imagine no one had passed by.

In a related , I recently saw a family throwing water balloons on the beach! I could not believe it. I wish I had confronted them but unfortunately I didn't.

Yanbu, people should know better. I suspect that they do but they just don't care.

It's basically littering.

Maybe the people should be sent a bill by environmental services for the clean up, and bills to cover any vet services required to save wild animals. Oh, and they can replace any farmers' livestock killed by swallowing balloons. I hear a beef steer costs thousands of pounds.

To me, balloons fall into the same category as plastic toys given away with children's meals - 5 minute novelties that are quickly discarded. We need to move society away from indulging children (and some adults) with pointless plastic tat.

And yes, I get that grieving people can think of nothing else but their loved one who is now dead. Which is why it would be better to ban these balloons by law. That way, releasing them is no longer an option, nobody has to argue about it any more, and bereaved people don't have to make the decision one way or another, or suffer additional pain by seeing others' negative comments. Problem solved.

@Lovely13

The wildfires in California were allegedly sparked by Chinese lanterns for a gender reveal party. Lot of guilt on that poor baby. And I had to look up what a gender reveal party is. It sounds pathetic. Particularly when it causes such terrible mayhem...

One can hardly put the guilt in the baby!