Jules she/her4d ago

Is it time to ban balloon releases, or indeed balloons altogether?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/02/the-dark-side-of-the-balloon-boom-is-it-time-they-were-banned

I'd say yes, not just for the rubbish they scatter over the countryside but also because as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has recently hopefully demonstrated, helium is a finite resource with important medical and scientific applications

The dark side of the balloon boom – is it time they were banned?

From balloon arches at parties to mass balloon releases at funerals, these bits of floating rubber and plastic can have disastrous effects on wildlife. As some retailers are refusing to sell them, here are some alternatives

The Guardian
Show threadJules she/her4d ago

I've been complaining about balloons for years now, these things can turn up literally everywhere when they finally fall from the sky.

https://tangledbankforaging.co.uk/2018/11/21/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-the-problem-with-balloons/

Out of sight, out of mind: the problem with balloons

The natural world is so busy and full of beautiful, remarkable things to pay attention to that it sometimes causes me problems when I help out at the bushcraft school where I was privileged enough …

Tangled Bank Foraging and Fibre Crafts
Show threadRichard Webb
@afewbugs https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6965178
Balloon litter, Pentland Hills

Geograph
Apr 2 at 9:32amWeb