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 threadKim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷4d ago
@afewbugs
I’ve been saying this for years. Helium is a finite resource with no known alternatives. It’s important for MRIs, for scientific research, for various industrial processes, and maybe for quantum computing in the future. It’s completely bonkers that we waste it on party balloons.
A ban on frivolous uses of Helium is long overdue.
#Environment #Politics
Show threadbovaz
@KimSJ @afewbugs +1
Apr 2 at 9:33amWeb