Over the years, the release of balloons has become a significant trend. Many do balloon releases for various reasons including birthdays, celebrating a life, gender reveals or for personal reasons.
Not only are balloon releases a trend, they are also a tradition for most people.
Within these celebrations or traditions, people would gather and make it an event to support and show love to one another. Although the release of balloons is something that people gather for, as of July 1, Florida has banned the intentional release of balloons.
On July 1, House Bill 321 went into effect to ban all intentional balloon releases. Along with this, there are specific penalties that Floridians could face if they are caught intentionally releasing balloons.
Some states, such as California, Tennessee and Connecticut, have also banned intentional balloon releases.
If someone is caught violating this law, they could be hit with a $150 fine. According to New-Press.com, out of that $150, $50 would go to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s solid waste management trust fund. There are also age restrictions where kids under six would not face any penalties with this law.
When there are celebrations with the release of balloons, people probably don’t think about what happens to those balloons once they deflate. Granted, it takes a while for balloons to deflate fully, and they could end up farther away than someone would probably think. Once the balloons are deflated, they end up in lakes or oceans, which could cause significant harm to wildlife.
Littering is a significant problem, and the deflation of balloons adds to the problem. The remains of the balloons make it easier for wildlife to ingest them, which causes harm or even kills them.
Balloons and their plastic ribbons, ties-off discs, clips and other attachments can be easily ingested and swallowed by endangered sea turtles, seabird’s ocean trash for key wildlife and are the deadliest form of plastic debris for seabirds, according to OCEANA.org.
Although protecting wildlife from deflated balloons is essential, it’s also important to consider how releasing balloons could affect power lines. The contact of power lines and balloons could cause power outages, fires, etc.
HB 321 has been in effect for more than four months with two goals: preventing littering and saving wildlife.
Not knowing where those deflated balloons may go could also lead them to end up on the street, adding to littering issues. Wildlife protection has been a significant problem over the years, with deflated balloons being one of the main contributors to this problem.
While many people are used to doing balloon releases, there are numerous things to do instead of releasing balloons. You could use kites and pinwheels, plant a tree, or even start a memorial garden. Employing these alternatives could help save wildlife, address the littering problem and save you from facing a fine of $150.