I do wish people stop releasing helium balloons and Chinese lanterns for celebrating/remembering people

[Mokel]

Balloons and Chinese do not go to heaven. They travel up to 3 miles in the sky and travel for miles. Then land in the sea, a field or on powerlines.

Then wildlife and farm animals are attracted by these and try to eat them. They die.

Well, YANBU of course @Mokel but I honestly don't think I have known anyone release Chinese Lanterns for about 8-9 years now. I don't even see them for sale. I'm sure you could source them on the internet, but I don't know anyone who has bought them/used them for the best part of a decade.

I do see people buying helium balloons now and again, (I think every millennial has a photograph of themselves with 2 big number balloons - either from when they were 18, or 21,) but I don't see anyone ever release them into the air. Who DOES that?

Most of the doves used are white pigeons that are not trained

I saw on FB a family releasing a balloon for their DF’s would have been 60th birthday- not impressed

Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen clearly. 😡

They should be banned. There's absolutely no need for them. My best friend's dog got tangled in a lantern and sadly died 😢

They are pretty much the same bird and end up as prey 🦅☹️

I was part of a group of Mums that organised an end of primary school party for my child’s year at school. A couple of the other parents organising wanted to do a balloon release, as I believe previous years had done it. The rest of us said absolutely not, it’s not environmentally friendly and is a danger to wildlife etc. Was shocked the morning after to see on social media that they had done it anyway, with a group of selected kids. We then received a complaint from nearby residents. I was livid.

I contacted the school & they were extremely rude - she stated the teenagers were traumatized by the death & therefore had the right to do as they pleased & then told me I should have taken better care of my livestock.

Some of the balloons actually have the Surrey Police logo on them & the local pcso was there for the release 🤷

I totally get that the teenagers were traumatized by the death (it was a stabbing so as dreadful as you could get) but the adults around them really shouldn't have allowed it. They will now have to see the filthy, decaying remnants of their 'tribute' littering their surroundings for months & years to come. What a stupid way to remember someone.

I wonder whether the lads family will appreciate their sons "legacy' of death & destruction

Someone I know attempted to arrange a balloon release on, what would have been, my sons 21st birthday. She was furious when I said no.

I didn't want a big public thing anyway, but I also wanted to remember my son in a way that didn't involve littering and killing wildlife.

In the end we did litter picking on the beach he loved, and then my children and I went off privately and blew bubbles and sent messages to heaven in those (some of my children are significantly younger).

There are a million things to do to honour someone. When I send a sympathy card now I buy the ones with seeds in the paper so the bereaved can plant it if they choose to.

YANBU and I agree wholeheartedly there is no need for that as an activity.

I have however seen horrid Facebook posts either graphic descriptions of animals being trapped in balloons. I’m not easily triggered but they weren’t great. Now it was entirely blaming people releasing them recreationally and calling them all sorts of names. And all I could think was what if someone just mistakenly let one go? Some poor kid just let go in the wind. The posts were awfully worded.

I didn't say it doesn't happen. Clearly. 🙄

I just said I HAVEN'T SEEN IT HAPPEN in 8-9 years. Clearly.

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Agree there’s been a few over the last few days. Even the ones they claim are biodegradable take a while to decompose. I’m not sure how they would police it though. A lot of balloon sellers won’t sell them for release. What a lot do is a crowd of people buy 1 or 2 each so the sellers don’t question it. Then they gather to release the balloons. A man died in the US because of a mass balloon release. Because of all the balloons they couldn’t locate him.

I see people asking for them all the time on facebook. There are more comments against buying them than telling them where they can get them.

I’m so sorry

It’s such a dimwitted thing to do.

Whilst I do agree they are terrible for the environment and should be banned ... we are all doing so so many things every single day that are terrible for the environment and on a much larger scale (balloon releases are not very common) that its difficult to hold judgement on people grieving. I honestly think most people involved in them just aren't aware rather than uncaring. So many of us turn a blind eye when we want/'need' environmentally damaging things in our own lives. This is a drop in the ocean - not that it means it should carry on, but there are much bigger fish to fry.

A similar message on FB outside Bonfire Night time - where can I buy fireworks.

Everyone says they should be banned etc

The foil helium balloons aren’t biodegradable.

As this weekend on a litter pick found the remains of a foil balloon. Had writing “Happy 70th Birthday in Heaven” with a date in 2017

It's not just for those who have died, I was at a wedding where they did a balloon release. To make it worse each balloon had a light in it, so they looked pretty floating up at night. I just thought what a waste of batteries and what will happen to them. It was in a country in Europe, not UK.

Who on earth are the ignorant 5% who think this is OK?

When my mother died several people paid for trees to be planted in her name. Massively preferable.

They showed a balloon release on yesterday’s Reporting Scotland, organised by a mother campaigning against knife crime after her son was killed. Obviously a devastating thing for his friends and family, and the mother is trying to do good work, but so annoying to feature a balloon release in a positive light on national news.

The Balloons Blow page on Facebook has good alternatives or there are these

https://greenecofriend.co.uk/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-balloons/

It should definitely be made illegal to deliberately release balloons or lanterns. There’s no need for it and so many reasons why it’s a terrible idea.
It needs to be heavily fined along with fly tipping.

Unfortunately, it does seem to be a certain type of people who do it and I doubt they’d care.