Don't Let Go: Balloon & sky lantern releases
3 minute read
There’s one thing to remember when it comes to balloons and sky lanterns: Don’t Let Go! Because what goes up must come down and when it does, it can be fatal to wildlife.
Why are balloon and sky lantern releases a problem?
Letting go of balloons and setting off sky lanterns may seem like a bit of harmless fun, but what happens when they float out of your sight and disappear from your thoughts? They land somewhere – either intact or in bits with their trailing strings and plastic ties.
This balloon litter can be eaten by marine life, entangle turtles or sea birds and may result in premature death by choking, starvation or strangulation.
Many people don’t know that balloons and lanterns pose these threats to wildlife, which is why there are so many fundraising or awareness events still using them.
While anyone knowingly throwing litter on the ground could be fined, letting go of a balloon or a lantern, which is just as problematic, isn’t treated in the same way.
That’s why we're highlighting the issue with our Don’t Let Go messaging – to help prevent harm to wildlife and reduce litter levels on our beautiful beaches.
We’ve already had some success with our campaigning, with single-use plastic balloon sticks now banned in all UK countries - but we still need action on balloon and lantern releases.
Some important facts
A black headed gull eating a deflated balloon
Credit: countingcoots.blogspot.co.uk
Learnings from mistakes
The largest ever balloon release was over 1.4 million balloons and took place in Cleveland, Ohio in 1986. Not only did this have disastrous repercussions for people in the area, but it also caused massive issues to the environment. Lake Erie was described as an “asteroid field” of balloons because of the large number that landed in its water. The effect that the large number of latex balloons had on the wildlife surrounding the Great Lake is unimaginable.
We are happy to hear that this year, Florida introduced a new law that bans the intentional release of balloons. This replaces an already existing ban which prevented the release of ten or more balloons within 24 hours. By learning from the disaster in Ohio and continuing to build upon the prevention work already in place, we hope to see more US states and our councils back in the UK see the impact balloon releases can have on the environment and take necessary action to prevent further damage caused by balloons.
What you can do
A deflated balloon found during a beach clean
Credit: Natasha Ewins
We want to get outdoor balloon and sky lantern releases stopped. We don’t want to stop people having fun – we just want to protect our vulnerable marine species and reduce litter.
We need your help in spreading the word that letting go of balloons and lanterns is harming our wildlife and littering our beaches.
If you're looking for alternatives to balloon releases, take a look at our suggestions below:
Councils are getting it
Local authorities are increasingly voting to ban the release of balloons and lanterns on their land. They’re making that decision after pressure from local people, demonstrating the impact we can all make in securing ocean-positive change.
Over 100 local authorities in the UK have banned balloon/sky lantern releases on their land. Check our list of Councils with bans to see if yours is on there.
