Balloons can kill wildlife - Marine Conservation Society

Don’t
Let
Go!
© RICHARD HARRINGTON/MCS
The MCS campaign for
responsible balloon use
If you would like to find out
more about the responsible
use of balloons and the
effects of balloon releases
on the marine environment,
please visit
What happens to balloons
after they are released?
www.mcsuk.org
You can also contact us at:
Marine Conservation Society
Overross House,
Ross Park,
Ross-on-Wye,
Herefordshire,
HR9 7US
Tel: 01989 566017
Fax: 01989 567815
E-mail: info@mcsuk.org
+
The MCS ‘Don’t Let Go!’ campaign
=
pack has been funded by the
Project Aware Foundation (International)
and the Crown Estate
Cover images: Balloons/CORBIS
Fulmars and balloons/ALTERRA VAN FRANEKER
© Copyright MCS/2006
Registered charity number: 1004005
Balloons can kill wildlife
Don’t
Let
Go!
The MCS campaign for
responsible balloon use
Protecting our seas, shores
and wildlife - now and for
future generations.
-#3
.BSJOF
$POTFSWBUJPO
4PDJFUZ
Balloons float up into the air and
disappear from your thoughts, but
not from the environment.
MCS guidelines
for wildlife friendly
balloon use
Beach litter surveys
organised by the Marine
Conservation Society have
shown that the number of
balloons and balloon pieces
found on UK beaches has
tripled in the last 10 years.
You can enjoy balloons
without harming wildlife.
• Animals can become entangled
in balloon ribbons and string,
restricting their movement and
their ability to feed.
• Even biodegradable latex
balloons are a danger as they can
take several months or even years
to break down.
PENROSE
ROD
GREEN TURTLE ©
• When tying balloons use natural
cotton string rather than plastic
ribbon.
• Securely tie any balloons that are
used outside.
• Always hand tie balloons rather than
using plastic valves.
• Sign up to the ‘Don’t Let Go’ petition
• Don’t let go!
BALLOONS CAN KILL WILDLIFE
www.mcsuk.org
GRAEME CRESSWELL/BREATHTAKINGWHALES.COM
• If swallowed, balloons can block
an animal’s gut and cause it to
starve.
• Use balloons made of natural rubber
latex rather than mylar (foil) balloons.
• Mass balloon releases have
already been banned by several
local authorities in the UK, USA and
Australia.
MCGUINNESS
• Dolphins, whales, turtles, seabirds
and other animals have all been
killed by balloons.
• Fill balloons with air rather than
helium.
• Turtles are particularly at risk as
they can confuse balloons with
their jellyfish prey.
RAZORBILL © CHRISTIN
E
• 10% of released balloons don’t
burst, they float back down to
earth where they pose a serious
threat to wildlife.
• Don’t let go of balloons outdoors!
Instead of releasing
balloons into the
environment, why not
try a wildlife friendly
alternative?
Prize balloon popping
Air fill your balloons, and
hide a few prize tickets
inside. Release the balloons
indoors and have everyone
pop them to find prizes.
Balloon relay - Each member
of a team has to run a
short distance and sit on
a balloon to pop it before
running back to tag the next
member of the team. The
first team to pop all their
balloons wins!
Balloon art -Hire a balloon
artist or, for a big, bold
statement, try a giant airfilled-balloon sculpture.
Visit our website for more
ideas.
Alternatives to balloon releases
There are many types of events that could easily replace balloon
releases and not cause harm to our environment.
Many marine species, including turtles and dolphins,
accidentally eat balloons because they think they are food. This
blocks their stomach and can cause them to die. Animals also
get entangled in balloons. This is really simple to stop – just
don’t release balloons. There are lots of events to choose from
and we’ve put together some ideas here to help you.
We’re not against balloons – as long as they are not released
to be another bit of litter in the environment. So if you’ve already
bought balloons, how about doing these events instead?
A razorbill caught in a balloon
Prize balloon popping – Hide a few prizes inside air filled
balloons. Release balloons indoors and let everyone pop them to
find the prizes. Also works well with choosing raffle ticket winners.
Balloon relay – Each member of a team has to run a short
distance and sit on a balloon to pop it before running back to tag
the next member of the team. The first team to pop all their
balloons wins!
Balloon sculpture – Use your balloons to make an unusual but
fun sculpture.
Balloon art – Hire a balloon artist to create balloon animals.
Don’t let go!
Guess the number of balloons – Fill a car with balloons and
the correct guess gets a prize (could you get the local car dealer to donate the car as a
prize?).
Trying to raise lots money without spending much? Try these events instead:
Sponsored events – All it costs you is a sponsorship form! Find some willing individuals to
do sponsored running, walking, swimming, pogo jumping… whatever you like!
Auction – Get people and local companies to donate prizes and hold an auction to raise
money for your cause.
Virtual balloon release – They do exist! You can sponsor balloons, set them off from a
precise location and track them online to see where they end up. Balloons travelling the world
with no harm to the environment – great!
Music concert – Support new local bands and host a night of musical entertainment.
Tickets for the concert all go to your cause and musicians get a great chance to showcase
their talent.
Colour code yourself – Dress in green / blue / neon pink and give money to charity too.
Balloons are often released to commemorate or raise awareness –why not try these
ideas instead:
Lighting candles
Planting trees or flowers
Need an event for kids?
Paper plane competition (also works for adults – brings out the
competitive side!). Prize for the plane that travels the furthest.
Plant a tree to mark a class leaving school
Or get all the children of the school year to make a clay or paint
collage of their handprints – a beautiful, personal memento of the year.
Hand paint picture as a good
way to mark the end of a
school year
Easter egg or treasure hunt.
And for something totally different…
Release the cow! Mark out squares in a plot of
land and sell tickets for each numbered square.
Release a cow into the field and the first square to
be hit by a cow pat wins
© BHF
Organise a kite fly. Looks spectacular and is cheap and fun to
organise.
What goes up…
does come down
Finally – if you have any good ideas please let us know!
The MCS campaign for
responsible balloon use
Don’t
Let
Go!
Protecting our seas, shores
and wildlife - now and for
future generations.
���
������
������������
�������
Balloons can kill wildlife
© GILL BELL/MCS
© GRAEME CRESSWELL/BREATTAKINGWHALES.COM
Balloons can kill wildlife
Most people have not
considered the fate
of balloons released
into the environment.
Studies suggest that
most of these balloons
rise to high altitude
and burst into tiny
fragments, but 10%
will not burst and can
be carried in the air
for long distances.
Any partially inflated,
whole balloons as
well as burst balloon
fragments, will float
back down to earth
posing a serious threat
to wildlife.
(rubber) balloon.
to wildlife. Balloons and
Other records of balloon
marine litter such as plastic,
ingestion include common
discarded rope, fishing nets
dolphins in Californian waters,
and other marine debris have
loggerhead turtles in Texan
been shown to kill marine
waters, and a green turtle
wildlife. Entangled animals
that died in Florida
can drown,
Dolphins, whales,
asphyxiate
turtles, seabirds and after eating a partially
(suffocate) or
inflated latex balloon.
other animals have
starve. If they
Closer to home, Risso’s
all been harmed
ingest (swallow) or killed either by
dolphins in French
marine debris
swallowing balloons waters are known to
it can damage
ingest balloons, as are
or becoming
or block the
entangled in balloon fulmars in the North
gut and lead to ribbons and string.
Sea, and turtles (see
starvation.
case study, below).
We know that balloons can
kill as there are many cases
around the world where the
death of marine wildlife has
been attributed to balloon
ingestion (swallowing). In
1985 the Marine Mammal
Stranding Centre of New
Jersey recorded the death of
a pygmy sperm whale that
had starved after ingesting a
mylar (foil) balloon. In 1987
they recorded the death
of a leatherback turtle that
had starved after ingesting
a partially inflated latex
These cases are only the
ones we know of. Most
marine creatures that die
at sea are never found or
post mortemed.
FRANEKER
Balloons and marine litter
pose a serious threat
If you would like to find out
more about the responsible
use of balloons and the
effects of balloon releases
on the marine environment,
please visit
www.mcsuk.org
The MCS campaign for
responsible balloon use
ALTERRA/VAN
The largest ever
balloon release was 1.4
million balloons. This
may have resulted in
140,000 intact balloons
and millions of pieces
of balloon falling back
to earth.
Don’t
Let
Go!
Marine turtles are
particularly at risk, as they
feed on marine creatures
that float at the surface,
like jellyfish. Leatherback,
loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley,
green and hawksbill turtles
have all been recorded in
UK and Irish waters, and
leatherbacks visit British
waters every summer to
feed on jellyfish. All these
turtle species are known
to ingest marine litter,
perhaps mistaking it for
their jellyfish prey.
You can also contact us at:
Marine Conservation Society
Unit 3, Wolf Business Park
Alton Road
Ross-on-Wye
Herefordshire
HR9 5NB
Tel: 01989 566017
Fax: 01989 567815
E-mail: info@mcsuk.org
© RICHARD HARRINGTON/MCS
Case study: marine turtles
© DOUG PERRINE/SEAPICS.COM
What happens to balloons
after they are released?
FACTSHEET
Experiments in the USA showed that
captive loggerheads fed with small
pieces of latex balloon took up to four
months to pass the fragments. During
this time they experienced flotation
abnormalities and their blood-sugar
levels dropped. Sadly, ingestion can
also lead to death. The juvenile green
turtle pictured below washed up dead
on a beach near Blackpool in 2001.
The post-mortem revealed that the
turtle’s digestive tract was completely
blocked by marine debris, including a
large fragment of blue latex balloon.
The blockage led to the turtle starving
to death.
The MCS ‘Don’t Let Go!’ campaign pack has been funded by
Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate
COVER IMAGE: BALLOONS/CORBIS
© Copyright MCS/2006
Registered charity number: 1004005
References:
Burchette D.K. 1989. A study of the effect of balloons releases on the environment.
Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B. 1997. ‘Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions’. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc
MMSC. 1989. Marine mammals and sea turtles that stranded after ingesting or becoming entangled in man-made items. Unpublished report, May 1989 by
the Marine Mammal Stranding Centre (MMSC), New Jersey, USA
Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B. 1997. ‘Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions’. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc – Walker and Coe 1990 - Common Dolphin
Shaver, DJ & Plotkin, PT. 1998. Marine debris ingestion by sea turtles in South Texas: Pre- and post MARPOL Annex V. In Byles, R & Y Fernandez (compilers).
1998. Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-412, 158pp.
Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B. 1997. ‘Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions’. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc - U.S. Natl. Mus (cited in Walker & Coe 1990)
A. Collet, personal communication - Risso
Coe, J.M. and Rogers, D.B. 1997. ‘Marine Debris Sources, Impacts and Solutions’. Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc – Day 1980; Robards et al., Chapter 6, Coe
and Rogers; Bourne 1976; Van Franeker 1985; Moser and Lee 1992 – Northern fulmars.
Lutz P. 1990. Studies on the ingestion of plastic and latex by sea turtles. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conferences on Marine Debris.
Penrose, R.S. UK and Eire Turtle Strandings & Sightings Annual Report 2002. 2003. Marine Environmental Monitoring
Beachwatch 2005 The annual Beach litter Survey Report. 2006. Marine Conservation Society.
International Coastal Cleanup 2004
Andrady A.L. 2000. Plastics and their impacts in the marine environment. In proceedings of the International Marine Debris Conference on Derelict Fishing
Gear and the Ocean Environment.
© ROD PENROSE/MEM
© GILL BELL/MCS
Balloon types
Mylar (foil) balloons are
made of silver foil and it is
unknown how many years
they will take to break down,
but they may never fully
biodegrade.
Tying balloons
Balloons can be tied with
cotton string, which will
eventually biodegrade,
but most balloons are
now tied with plastic
ribbon which persists in
the marine environment
and can entangle animals.
Beach litter surveys
carried out during the
Marine Conservation
Society’s Beachwatch
project have shown that
the number of balloons
and balloon pieces found
on UK beaches each year,
has trebled since 1996.
Who knows how many
more are still at sea or on
other beaches worldwide
which aren’t cleaned or
surveyed?
© PETER RICHARDSON/MCS
Latex balloons do
biodegrade, with some
studies suggesting that
balloons degrade in
about the same time as
an oak leaf. But this can
take up to 6 months to
occur depending on
environmental conditions
such as temperature and
humidity.
We know that balloons
can travel great distances.
A balloon released in the
middle of the UK can find its
way to the coast and far out
to sea. The results of the
US Ocean Conservancy’s
International Coastal
Cleanup 2004 showed that
over 63,000 balloons were
collected on surveyed
beaches worldwide.
© Alterra - van Franeker
During mass balloon
releases, the balloons are
often tied with a plastic
valve that will never
biodegrade and may also
pose a threat to wildlife.
A lasting problem
Studies indicate that
balloons floating in
seawater deteriorate
much slower than those
exposed to air, with some
balloons retaining their
elasticity after 12 months.
Even biodegradable latex
balloons persist in the
marine environment and
will stay intact in a turtle’s
gut long enough to cause
death by starvation.
CS
Latex (rubber) balloons
are made of natural latex
rubber and will therefore
biodegrade over a number of
months or years.
Balloons can be
filled with either
air or helium. MCS
recommends that
balloons are always
air-filled. Accidentally
released, air-filled
balloons are relatively
easy to retrieve,
whereas heliumfilled balloons float
upwards and disperse
because helium is
lighter than air.
© GILL BELL/M
© RICHARD HARRINGTON/MCS
Filling
balloons
© SAM FANSHAWE/MC
S
Understanding balloons
ALTERRA/VAN FRANEKER
MCS guidelines for
wildlife friendly
balloon use
Balloons
and the
law
You can enjoy balloons without
harming wildlife.
It is illegal to litter under
the Environmental
Protection Act (EPA) 1990,
with fines of up to £2,500
for each offence. Under
this act it is an offence to
drop “or otherwise deposit”
litter in a public place
and therefore releasing
balloons should be viewed
as an offence under this
Act. However, released
balloons are not currently
defined as litter.
• Use balloons made
of natural rubber latex
rather than mylar (foil)
balloons.
• When tying balloons
use natural cotton
string rather than
plastic ribbon.
• Securely tie any
balloons that are used
outside.
• Always hand tie
balloons rather than
using plastic valves.
• Sign up to the ‘Don’t
Let Go’ petition at
www.mcsuk.org
Use the information in this leaflet to
campaign for a local ban on balloon releases
in your area. Write to your local authority and
tell them about the threats posed to wildlife
by mass balloon releases.
ESS
take action
© CHRISTINE MCGUINN
Mass balloon releases are
also already banned in
Florida, Virginia, Conneticut
and Tennessee in the USA
and New South Wales in
Australia.
• Fill balloons with air
rather than helium.
© JAMES GREENHALGH/MCS
In recognition of the
threat posed to wildlife
by balloons, mass balloon
releases have been
banned by several UK
local authorities including
South Hams District
Council, Oxfordshire
County Council and
Shetland Islands Council.
• Don’t let go of
balloons outdoors!
For more information about joining MCS or to get
involved in the Adopt-a-Beach project call us or visit
www.adoptabeach.org.uk
Instead of releasing
balloons into the
environment why
not try a wildlife
friendly alternative?
Prize balloon
popping - air fill your
balloons, and hide a
few prize tickets inside.
Release the balloons
indoors and have
everyone pop them to
find prizes.
Guess the number
of balloons - run a
competition before the
balloon-pop, the closest
guess wins.
Balloon art - hire a
balloon artist or, for the
big, bold statement, try
a giant air-filled-balloon
sculpture.
Balloon relay - each
member of a team has
to run a short distance
and sit on a balloon to
pop it before running
back to tag the next
member of the team.
The first team to pop all
their balloons wins!
For more ideas, visit
our website.
www.mcsuk.org
What happens to balloons
after they are released?
m
o
r
f
r
a
e
p
p
a
s
i
d
d
n
a
p
u
t
a
o
fl
They
.
.
.
s
t
h
g
u
o
h
t
r
u
yo
but not from the environment.
+
=
Balloons can kill wildlife
Don’t
Let
Go!
The MCS campaign for
responsible balloon use
Protecting our seas, shores and wildlife
- now and for future generations.
For information about the effects of balloon releases on
the marine environment, please visit our website
© MCS/2006Registered charity no: 1004005
The ‘Don’t Let Go!’ campaign pack was funded by Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate
Images: balloon release/CORBIS; fulmars and burst balloons/Alterra - van Franeker; child with balloon/Richard Harrington - MCS
���
������
������������
�������
www.mcsuk.org