Why are mass balloon releases still being done and allowed??

[Bungle73]

Just seen in the news yet another done, supposedly in tribute to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. I'm not sure that littering the countryside with waste and putting wildlife at risk of suffering and death is that much of a tribute.....

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Madness, do people not think about what happens to the plastic? I read that some sort of compostable (edible for birds, mammals?) material for balloons was being developed, not sure about that.

Chinese lanterns, sending fire into the sky (it could come down anywhere) absolutely should be banned too. Fireworks too. If it saves one life, it is worth it.

 

[ABB125]

When I read "mass balloon release", this was the first thing that came to mind:

However, I now realise that's not what happened today...

Personally I'm not quite sure how the release of a collection of balloons can be a tribute to a deceased person (or anything else), but clearly some people like it.

 

[Dent]

Chinese lanterns, sending fire into the sky (it could come down anywhere) absolutely should be banned too. Fireworks too.

Do fireworks create plastic litter?

If it saves one life, it is worth it.

That's not a good route to go down for a rational discussion.

 

[py_megapixel]

Do fireworks create plastic litter?

Yes, not that this is the main reason for banning them.

 

[Darandio]

Do fireworks create plastic litter?

Both in the firework itself and of course the launch tubes which are often left lying around.

 

[ABB125]

Yes, not that this is the main reason for banning them.

It must be noted that picking up firework remnants from the garden after a neighbour has set some off is an exciting pastime for young children (well, it was for me and my brothers!).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Mass balloon releases = aerial litter.

Mass Chinese lantern releases = aerial incendiaries!

 

[stevetay3]

Shall we be done with it and just ban everything.

 

[Towers]

Shall we be done with it and just ban everything.

No, but in the case of mass balloon releases it's a pretty sound suggestion. There are plenty of other ways of celebrating or remembering, it isn't necessary to essentially release litter into the sky en masse.

 

[AlterEgo]

No, but in the case of mass balloon releases it's a pretty sound suggestion. There are plenty of other ways of celebrating or remembering, it isn't necessary to essentially release litter into the sky en masse.

And as others have said, Chinese lanterns are even worse. I’m very surprised that’s still legal.

 

[Sm5]

I think plastic food packaging is a bigger problem, but its not as sexy a target.

 

[Starmill]

I think plastic food packaging is a bigger problem, but its not as sexy a target.

The packaging on food is there for a critical reason - so that it's safe to eat when it reaches the consumer. Food is not exactly optional. Balloons and 'Chinese lanterns' on the other hand...

I agree that it's wider in scale, but you can't just ban single use plastic in food packaging. Not yet anyway.

 

[GusB]

I think plastic food packaging is a bigger problem, but its not as sexy a target.

It's awful - think of the poor, starving children.

 

[Dent]

I think plastic food packaging is a bigger problem, but its not as sexy a target.

Not in any way comparable, food packaging doesn't get launched into the air and randomly land somewhere. Also, as already pointed out, food packaging has a necessary purpose.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not in any way comparable, food packaging doesn't get launched into the air and randomly land somewhere.

It does on a windy day, to be fair, especially when it's just been thrown out of a car window.

 

[Dent]

It does on a windy day, to be fair, especially when it's just been thrown out of a car window.

Irresponsible behaviour, or an occasional freak accident, is not the same thing as something made to be deliberately launched with no regard for where it ends up. This whataboutery with food packaging is a silly false equivalence.

 

[Sm5]

I just think the amount of hot air expended about banning balloons is greater than the hot air actually used by them.
I think theres bigger problems in society than 100 random balloons launched once every 6 months or so somewhere in the country.

Some just have a need to protest, and search for a focal point to coalesce around. Next week it’ll be something else, assuming theres nothing boring on TV or if Twitters gone quiet.

never ever seen a balloon on the ground, let alone flocks of dying birds eating them, but I can't go 100 metres anywhere in this litter obsessed country without finding a discarded crisp packet, yet some here think its ok for us to live in a bin.

The UK has a major litter problem, much of it oil based packaging, its in our dna to drop it on the floor and let someone else deal with it.

its hard to see when you live amongst it every day, but its easier to look up-to the sky and take a moral high ground, whilst upto your knees in waste.

 

[Bungle73]

I just think the amount of hot air expended about banning balloons is greater than the hot air actually used by them.
I think theres bigger problems in society than 100 random balloons launched once every 6 months or so somewhere in the country.

Some just have a need to protest, and search for a focal point to coalesce around. Next week it’ll be something else, assuming theres nothing boring on TV or if Twitters gone quiet.

never ever seen a balloon on the ground, let alone flocks of dying birds eating them, but I can't go 100 metres anywhere in this litter obsessed country without finding a discarded crisp packet, yet some here think its ok for us to live in a bin.

The UK has a major litter problem, much of it oil based packaging, its in our dna to drop it on the floor and let someone else deal with it.

its hard to see when you live amongst it every day, but its easier to look up-to the sky and take a moral high ground, whilst upto your knees in waste.

The threat to wildlife and other animals Deflated balloons or balloon fragments can look very attractive as food to many different animals and any fragments left on the ground or floating in water can easily be eaten. Ingesting balloons can cause death by blocking the digestive and/or respiratory tracts, and is likely to be slow. This has been witnessed and documented in marine turtles, dolphins, whales and farm animals. In 2013, DEFRA produced “Sky lanterns and helium balloons - an assessment of the impacts to livestock and the environment” in which they identified the choking of a goat and the fatal choking of a cow due to swallowing balloon fragments. Many marine species have been found with balloons in their stomachs, probably having mistaken them (as well as plastic bags) for jellyfish, a staple food for many species. Reports from the US and Canada have confirmed that balloons are regularly ingested by sea turtles; a researcher from the University of Texas for example, studied sea turtles that had been found stranded. Five per cent of these turtles were found to have pieces of balloon and plastic bags in their digestive system. The “UK & Eire Marine and Turtle Strandings & Sightings Annual Report 2002” reports on a green turtle found in UK waters with a large fragment of a balloon in its stomach and plastic in its oesophagus. Cause of death was given as oesophageal and stomach impaction. The “British Isles and Republic of Ireland Marine Turtle Strandings and Sightings Annual Report 2010” found, in 32 post-mortems, that 5 of those turtles had evidence of litter ingestion.

https://www.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494935/9042554/Balloon+releases+%28V1.1%29+-+2018.pdf/0164dbbf-0834-a45f-4a40-fed60f14e790?t=1553171466542&download=true

 

[Dent]

I just think the amount of hot air expended about banning balloons is greater than the hot air actually used by them.
I think theres bigger problems in society than 100 random balloons launched once every 6 months or so somewhere in the country.

Some just have a need to protest, and search for a focal point to coalesce around. Next week it’ll be something else, assuming theres nothing boring on TV or if Twitters gone quiet.

never ever seen a balloon on the ground, let alone flocks of dying birds eating them, but I can't go 100 metres anywhere in this litter obsessed country without finding a discarded crisp packet, yet some here think its ok for us to live in a bin.

The UK has a major litter problem, much of it oil based packaging, its in our dna to drop it on the floor and let someone else deal with it.

its hard to see when you live amongst it every day, but its easier to look up-to the sky and take a moral high ground, whilst upto your knees in waste.

That's all a rather silly dismissal of perfectly legitimate concerns, hardly helpful to an intelligent and rational discussion.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

I agree with the Whataboutery. There are many other things that should be banned or restricted as well as balloons.

And plenty of existing laws that just need to be enforced.

 

[birchesgreen]

Are we only allowed to be concerned about one thing now?

 

[341o2]

The remains of balloons coming back to earth have been responsible for animal deaths such as

A TOP horse breeder has warned against “acts of self-centred sentimentality” littering of the countryside, after a young horse was killed by a balloon.

Jennifer Birtwhistle of Harrogate says people who let off lanterns and balloons to mark weddings or deaths can have no idea of the damage they are doing to the countryside

She was speaking after the death of Espoiro, a three-year-old chestnut mare from an impressive show-jumping dynasty, which died an agonising death after swallowing the string from a balloon.

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/15... 77, a British,swallowed it and began choking.

 

[EssexGonzo]

Are we only allowed to be concerned about one thing now?

No. But you are only allowed to be concerned about a strictly quantified list of things backed by unassailable data and evidence. That quantified list of things backed by evidence must then be rigorously prioritised according to strict criteria, then assessed with explicit agreement from every angry person on the internet. Obviously.

I agree with the Whataboutery. There are many other things that should be banned or restricted as well as balloons.

And plenty of existing laws that just need to be enforced.

Indeed. We can be angry about balloons and crisp packets at the same time. But crisp packets are probably the bigger problem encountered nmore regularly? About which there are laws that “we” (society) choose to do nothing very little about.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

A couple of other things that really should be restricted: Christmas lights (energy use, disturbance for neighbours, animals, insects) and Christmas trees, that is easy enough, they could just be left in the ground to grow instead of being slaughtered.

 

[Sprinter107]

I've never noticed discarded balloons, but was quite shocked at the frequency that people just lob fast food packaging, drinks cans etc from a fast moving car or lorry. Its becoming an almost daily thing I've noticed.

 

[gswindale]

A couple of other things that really should be restricted: Christmas lights (energy use, disturbance for neighbours, animals, insects) and Christmas trees, that is easy enough, they could just be left in the ground to grow instead of being slaughtered.

We had a live Christmas tree for several years. Spent 11 months in the garden and came in with loads of insects every December. Only died when we went away one June for a fortnight which happened to be much drier than expected.

The energy usage of lights is somewhat reduced these days. All of our lights have transformers reducing the voltage and current. Not like the lights we had in the 80s that were just plugged straight into a 3 pin socket!

 

[AlterEgo]

A couple of other things that really should be restricted: Christmas lights (energy use, disturbance for neighbours, animals, insects) and Christmas trees, that is easy enough, they could just be left in the ground to grow instead of being slaughtered.

Christmas trees wouldn't be grown unless there was someone to buy them. They're carbon-negative.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Mass balloon releases, whilst good for community spirit, do leave a load of plastic waste. Personally, I agree with those who say they should be banned. Replace them with a bit of community singing instead!

 

[Bevan Price]

Charities (real & pretend) are worse polluters, with their huge plastic sacks shoved through your letterbox with monotonous regularity.