After holiday celebrations, birthdays, or other special events, hosts and attendees may be left with a multitude of balloons. While some may take the balloons home, others may think it is a good idea to let balloons "go" to float upwards into the sky.
While this may seem like a nostalgic and harmless pastime, letting balloons float upwards can have devastating consequences for the environment. Below, Grady's GreenLiving Tips details three of these negative environmental impacts:
Animals Can Get Sick or Hurt From Balloons
After balloons float upwards, the balloons eventually sink downwards and land in a different place. Once this happens, birds, fish, and other animals can mistake the deflated balloons as food. This can, obviously, cause serious detriments for the impacted animal. Animals can choke on the balloon. In addition, balloon strings can entangle birds, turtles, and other animals which can limit or totally hinder their movement and ability to survive.
Balloons Will Become Litter
Balloons that sink back to Earth will land on the ground: in plants, on top of shrubbery, in trees, or in waterways. This is essentially litter, as a discarded and foreign piece of trash is now in an open space. Not only can this kill the plants and shrubs, but it can also impact power lines and damage other man made structures.
Resources Will Be Wasted
Letting go balloons only for the whim of watching them float into the sky will waste helium, the gas that makes balloons float. Again, this may seem harmless, but helium is a precious resource. When blowing up balloons before parties and events, ensure you are not filling more balloons that needed in order to reduce waste.
Even when not letting balloons float into the sky, remember to remove the string from balloons before disposing of them in the garbage to try to curb potential negative impacts on birds, fish, and other animals.
Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc. Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area. Learn more from our website or Facebook page.
