To ask everyone to stop releasing balloons

[Nixandwotsit]

Why - just why - are crowds of people still thinking that it's a good idea to mourn a death or celebrate an occasion by releasing 100's of fucking balloons into the sky? They land, animals get tangled in them, sometimes they eat them or the ribbons, then some of them die. The balloons don't just vanish like magic fairy dust, they lay around for years littering the countryside.
Am I being unreasonable to ask everyone to just think for a few minutes and stop doing this? And don't even get me started on those lethal bloody chinese lanterns.

Totally agree. Why not everyone plant a tree or something. Just stupid.

There was a terrible tragedy near me this last week. The community has been out in force today... releasing balloons. I feel terrible for feeling cross about it but I do.

Agreed, its just litter.

Lost loved ones dont recieve the balloons, the environment does.

I don't know if any one does this anymore?

Totally agree. I find them in my ponies' field on a regular basis

And all the Instagram knobs spending hundreds on balloon arches. Environmental disaster. Time for balloons to go the same way as straws.

I totally agree with you, and like BalladOfBarryAndFreda I feel the same about balloon arches too.

You can now buy biodegradable ones but no idea how long they take to degrade.

Agree though releasing plastic into the air is ridiculous

@AlwaysLatte

Totally agree. Why not everyone plant a tree or something. Just stupid.

We've been trying to find somewhere locally to plant a tree in memory of my partner.

It's not allowed in the public open space near our house, because it's being "environmentally managed" (I did say we'd be happy to plant whatever sort of tree they suggested, but was met with a flat refusal) and there's no room for any more trees in either of the parks, apparently. I offered to replace any one of the trees that have been removed from the roads near our house, but that wasn't permitted either.

We would have been allowed to plant a tree in a play area on an estate where DP had never even been though. I didn't fancy that.

Couldn't get permission for that, either.

YANBU. It's like people leaving shrines by the roadside covered in plastic wrap which just eventually blows away. If you want to leave flowers take the wrappping off so they can biodegrade. If you want to commemorate someone why not create a wildflower area or have a community fund people can donate to to buy a bench.

Sorry, meant to add "asked about providing a bench"!

There was a thread on MN a few years ago about this. It got pretty heated as a fair few people felt it was acceptable to commemorate a loved one in this way. I’d be interested to see if it goes the same way. I agree with you.

I went to a festival in 2009 and they released 100s of Chinese lanterns over farmland, I shudder when I think about it now.

@LakieLady can you plant in your garden if you have one? It's sad but it just wouldn't be possible for everyone to have a memorial tree somewhere special like a public park. Parks would end up forests and it'd take away from their public use.

Also, all the helium they use is a finite resource... the more helium that is wasted in balloons, the less there is available for medical uses like MRI scanners.

Agree with you OP, the damage they can do to wildlife is appalling, same with lanterns. But no doubt someone will be along shortly to say 'it's their right what they do and no one will tell them otherwise' and that we're all miserable.

@clickychicky

I don't know if any one does this anymore?

One of our neighbours died of Covid recently (sadly a vaccine refuser). His family had a lively wake for him the other night and released at least 30 bloody chinese lanterns into the sky. They headed off in the direction of fields where hay had been cut. Police not interested because not banned by our county council. I could have cried. Balloon releases - well you could look in the papers today sadly. Another example - a local young sportsman died last year. 100's of young folk met in the local park, to me making a big display of their blue foil helium balloons. Which of course ended up released. An acquaintance of mine has just had a re-think about her FB message to friends recently. She messaged saying she was so sorry that friends couldn't all attend the wedding due to Covid, but they would be releasing balloons at a certain time, with messages of hope and love attached, and invited everyone to join them "in spirit" by doing the same. I don't think I'm her favourite person now, but at least it isn't going to happen. FFS!

@BahHumbygge

Also, all the helium they use is a finite resource... the more helium that is wasted in balloons, the less there is available for medical uses like MRI scanners.

Medical grade helium and balloon gas helium are different things.

Genuinely wondering who is still dumb enough to do this, this and Chinese lanterns. YANBU

@Highflyingadored

You can now buy biodegradable ones but no idea how long they take to degrade.

Agree though releasing plastic into the air is ridiculous

Biodegradable chinese lanterns use bamboo for structure. Lethally sharp for any unsuspecting animal that swallows it. Plus, the other danger with chinese lantern is... they are fires floating through the sky that don't always go out before landing. So barns of hay are lost and worse so are animals. My friend's horse had one land on his back in his field. His rug was melted on to his body.

Part of the problem is you can't object to a commemorative event without looking like an insensitive arse.

Maybe balloons should have to be sold with a warning like on cigarettes. Harmful to wildlife.

YANBU, it is basically littering.

One very good reason to not let off Chinese lanterns...

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50971250.amp

I read threads like this and everyone seems to be unanimous that it's wrong. So where are the people who still do these stupid things? Some of them must be on MN.

Literally everyone knows not to do it though, so if they choose to, this thread won't make a jot of difference I'm afraid.

Couldn’t agree more. As much as I feel awful for the people who want to do balloon releases for lost loved ones, it can’t be allowed to happen. The impact on the environment and animals is too much.