Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask everyone to stop releasing balloons

208 replies

Nixandwotsit · 07/08/2021 16:53

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.

OP posts:
MissyB1 · 07/08/2021 17:54

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

Agree.

I will write to my MP, may I suggest everybody does the same

I’m going to do this. I would like a nationwide ban - and the fireworks too, they should only be allowed at organised displays.
Original poster
Nixandwotsit · 07/08/2021 17:54

@NiceGerbil

Oh this is a class thing is it!

How dull.

Talking about pollution. Cars are pretty bad. As an aside.

Start another thread about that maybe? Hopefully the information about Chinese lanterns has helped you to understand why they should never be let off.
OP posts:
NiceGerbil · 07/08/2021 17:57

A fair few planes have dropped parts on the ground lately. Burn fuel in a place wide
Worse for ozone layer. And a lot of disasters resulting in loss of life recently.

Anyway.

Thick young people eh.

LolaSmiles · 07/08/2021 18:00

I’m going to do this. I would like a nationwide ban - and the fireworks too, they should only be allowed at organised displays
I'd be willing to support that.
Ideally I'd like there to be a licence needed to buy fireworks and approval for any launch where the location and firework strengths are scrutinised. Most fireworks that are released in domestic gardens are far too powerful for the location. In one of our hold houses it used to scare me because some might be let off at the bottom of one garden, but the bottom of that garden was actually unsafely close to our neighbours' house.

NiceGerbil · 07/08/2021 18:00

That was about fires in the sky shocker.

Never seen Chinese lanterns they look pretty on the telly.

We don't get all this stuff round here. Balloons etc

Greyingmumto3 · 07/08/2021 18:02

I lost a parent a while back , my family individually released balloons and I kept my mouth shut . When asked to take part in an anniversary release I spoke up ,got completely ignored and they turned up with them anyway ! ( despite suggesting other ways to commemorate)
My children and husband know that I absolutely do not want anything like that in my memory

atlastifoundit · 07/08/2021 18:04

Our local annual summer fete used to do a balloon release every year for the one that went the furthest. They have stopped doing it now because people complained about it. I told them that a turtle can't tell the difference between a balloon and a jellyfish until it's too late.

I couldn't agree with you more OP, and the more people campaign to stop balloon releases the better. And as for those damned lanterns, I feel sorry for people who live in thatched cottages.

GreatAuntEmily · 07/08/2021 18:04

I did a beach clean up and the worst things were the strings from birthday/ celebration helium filled balloons, don't know where the balloons were, but can guess, but the strings were unbreakable and tangled round seaweed, dead fish, other rubbish. Awful things.

Teaandakitkat · 07/08/2021 18:04

My lovely friend died a few years back. Her kids wanted to release a balloon a few weeks after she died so it could go up to the clouds and she could see it. They were only small and they were so sad so I organised it for them. The 2 of them, their dad, me, their grandma, another good friend. We do it twice a year, on her birthday and when she died. Every year I wonder if its the right time to ask the kids to do something different but I just remember their crushed wee faces when she had just died and I can't say anything. Her oldest dd is now 12 and I wonder if she'll soon think about for herself.
Maybe this year I'll say I don't want to do a balloon and I'll do something else instead. I feel like it's time.

So that's one reason why people release balloons I guess. We're not a massive group of 100s of people doing it for Instagram but we are still doing it, maybe 6 balloons twice a year, that's a lot of balloons over the years. No helium though, does that make us any better?

Sirzy · 07/08/2021 18:04

I have made it clear if anyone releases any balloons or anything similar when I die I will haunt them forever.

It should be banned. Every time I see fb posts about such things I really have to bite my lip because if you comment your classes as being insensitive.

I have seen things like wildflower bombs being given to people to throw and spread flowers in memory which is a much nicer thing

CornishTiger · 07/08/2021 18:06

@Teaandakitkat could they send bubbles up instead?

ancientgran · 07/08/2021 18:09

They planted a tree for my GS when he was born, it was in the national forest. I think they made a donation and then went on a day when lots of people were celebrating/commemorating people/things. Don't know if they still do it.

I always thing sponsored runs would be better being sponsored litter picks. I'd much rather sponsor a litterpick.

JayAlfredPrufrock · 07/08/2021 18:10

Who knew there were two different types of helium?

Well done Mother Nature.

I had my arse handed to me on a plate several years ago on here when I objected to balloon releases.

Original poster
Nixandwotsit · 07/08/2021 18:11

@Teaandakitkat

My lovely friend died a few years back. Her kids wanted to release a balloon a few weeks after she died so it could go up to the clouds and she could see it. They were only small and they were so sad so I organised it for them. The 2 of them, their dad, me, their grandma, another good friend. We do it twice a year, on her birthday and when she died. Every year I wonder if its the right time to ask the kids to do something different but I just remember their crushed wee faces when she had just died and I can't say anything. Her oldest dd is now 12 and I wonder if she'll soon think about for herself. Maybe this year I'll say I don't want to do a balloon and I'll do something else instead. I feel like it's time.

So that's one reason why people release balloons I guess. We're not a massive group of 100s of people doing it for Instagram but we are still doing it, maybe 6 balloons twice a year, that's a lot of balloons over the years. No helium though, does that make us any better?

Well, you know why it's the wrong thing to do so surely you can come up with an alternative? Bubbles is an idea. You can Google how to commemorate a loved one. We just need to stop doing these releases. I wonder where the little ones got the idea? They must have seen it somewhere, maybe set a different example.
OP posts:
ChardonnaysPetDragon · 07/08/2021 18:12

I’m going to do this. I would like a nationwide ban - and the fireworks too, they should only be allowed at organised displays*

Lovely!

I think we should keep it to balloons and lanterns though. Once we have too many things it gets muddled up.

Also, there was a petition to ban the sale of fireworks recently and it was rejected. Don’t get me wrong, I hate fireworks in the wild but I feel that is a separate issue

maddening · 07/08/2021 18:12

Sale and purchase of Chinese lanterns should be illegal imo, they have literally no other use that is not a danger to other people or animals.

UrbanRambler · 07/08/2021 18:15

YANBU, this sort of thing needs to stop. It's just adding more litter to the environment. I'd like balloons banned completely, but if that can't happen then perhaps the government should charge a heavy tax on all these things, and use the revenue to help clean up the environment.

Original poster
Nixandwotsit · 07/08/2021 18:15

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

I’m going to do this. I would like a nationwide ban - and the fireworks too, they should only be allowed at organised displays*

Lovely!

I think we should keep it to balloons and lanterns though. Once we have too many things it gets muddled up.

Also, there was a petition to ban the sale of fireworks recently and it was rejected. Don’t get me wrong, I hate fireworks in the wild but I feel that is a separate issue

I agree, best to be focused if we want to influence change. Not get derailed too far.
OP posts:
lannistunut · 07/08/2021 18:18

I agree, hate balloon releases, helium balloons, balloon arches and the worst is chinese lanterns. Oh, and lighting candles in paper boats and sending them off to litter streams, rivers and the sea.

Just bloody stop it!

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 07/08/2021 18:18

Police not interested because not banned by our county council. I could have cried.

What did you expect the police to do if it is perfectly legal to do so ? We aren't there to lecture people about environmental issues

Teaandakitkat · 07/08/2021 18:19

@Teaandakitkatcould they send bubbles up instead?

They could. I don't know where they got the idea of balloons from but it comforted them so much at the time, and it still does. They write her little messages.
I guess they're old enough now to know that she's not ever going to see the messages but if they get even a small bit of closeness to her from doing it then I don't want to be the one who tells them to stop.

I think I will say I'm not going to do a balloon this year and instead I'm going to do some bubbles. And I like the flower bomb idea, her birthday was in the spring so I could do that then.

But I can't tell the kids not to do it. Maybe they'll follow my lead, our other friend and grandma might. They probably would, that would half the number of balloons.

Tara336 · 07/08/2021 18:23

A relative of mine does this, I refuse to have anything to do with it. Funerals she’s done it and for memorial last year as well, does my head in but she’s not the sort to consider the environment or the animals or birds that may be injured despite claiming to be an animal lover.

Cherrysoup · 07/08/2021 18:23

YANBU and anyone releasing balloon/Chinese lanterns is an inconsiderate arsehole.

DismantledKing · 07/08/2021 18:24

YANBU. It’s a stupid and irresponsible thing to do.

FullMoonInsomnia · 07/08/2021 18:26

My pet hate is people who leave flowers , balloons and other detritus to mark a loved ones bench or grave. There are multiple benches near me with plaques to loved ones and they are unusable because of all the plastic crap left on them or tied to them ALL YEAR ROUND!