Regardless, even land animals often mistake the deflated balloons and plastic balloon pieces as food and ingest it – resulting in the same fate as the sea creatures.Įven if we don’t release balloons into the sky and just wish to have a spot of colour around the house for a celebration, we need to be mindful of the balloon’s end of life disposal. Now don’t be fooled into thinking that if you live far from the sea you are exempted! Balloons can travel hundreds of kilometres. As the pH of most animals’ stomachs is not strong enough to break down balloon plastic, the balloons block the animals’ intestines and eventually the animal starves to death. The end result is a jellyfish-looking balloon carcass (see below), which is just too tempting for a lot of sea creatures such as birds, fish, turtles, dolphins, dugongs, and even whales, to ingest. When released into the sky they reach high altitudes, only to pop and return down to the earth. Helium balloons cause their own special type of enviro-hell. So superficially, over time old balloons may appear to be “breaking down”, but what is really happening is that the plastic is being broken up from macro to micro plastics, causing havoc on both a micro and macro level in the environment.
So what’s the big deal about balloons?īalloons are no friend of the environment: they are made from non-biodegradable plastic that breaks up into smaller plastic pieces. I love a good party, but these plastic scoundrels just have to be uninvited. Now I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but after my research, I think it’s time we ditch our unhealthy obsession with party balloons. After getting a lot of press in the media, it was time for me to dive deep and determine exactly why balloons are so detrimental to the environment This week I’m starting with the eco basics. As the year progresses I’ll be sharing my new-found knowledge with you.
If you have subscribed to Happy Mail, you would know that my new year’s resolution is to increase my environmental awareness and continue pursuing an environmentally-conscious lifestyle.
Home Eco life Why are balloons bad for the environment? Why are balloons bad for the environment?
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