+ = Balloons can kill wildlife. Don t Let Go! What happens to balloons after they are released?

(1)

What happens to balloons

after they are released?

Cover images: Balloons/CORBIS

Fulmars and balloons/ALTERRA VAN FRANEKER

ON/MCS

Don’t

Let

Go!

The MCS campaign for

responsible balloon use

If you would like to ﬁ nd out

more about the responsible

use of balloons and the

eﬀ ects of balloon releases

on the marine environment,

please visit

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: [email protected]

The MCS ‘Don’t Let Go!’ campaign pack has been funded by the

Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate

.BSJOF $POTFSWBUJPO 4PDJFUZ

-#3

Protecting our seas, shores

and wildlife - now and for

future generations.

Don’t

Let

Go!

The MCS campaign for responsible balloon use

Balloons can kill wildlife

(2)

• Don’t let go of balloons outdoors!

• Fill balloons with air rather than

helium.

• 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

www.mcsuk.org

MCS guidelines

for wildlife friendly

balloon use

Balloons ﬂ oat up into the air and

disappear from your thoughts, but

not from the environment.

Instead of releasing

balloons into the

environment, why not

try a wildlife friendly

alternative?

Prize balloon popping

Air ﬁ ll your balloons, and

hide a few prize tickets

inside. Release the balloons

indoors and have everyone

pop them to ﬁ nd 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

ﬁ rst team to pop all their

balloons wins!

Balloon art -

Hire a balloon

artist or, for a big, bold

statement, try a giant

air-ﬁ lled-balloon sculpture.

Visit our website for more

ideas.

You can enjoy balloons

without harming wildlife.

• 10% of released balloons don’t

burst, they ﬂ oat back down to

earth where they pose a serious

threat to wildlife.

• Dolphins, whales, turtles, seabirds

and other animals have all been

killed by balloons.

• If swallowed, balloons can block

an animal’s gut and cause it to

starve.

• Animals can become entangled

in balloon ribbons and string,

restricting their movement and

their ability to feed.

• E

ven biodegradable latex

balloons are a danger as they can

take several months or even years

to break down.

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.

• Turtles are particularly at risk as

they can confuse balloons with

their jellyﬁ sh prey.

• Mass balloon releases have

already been banned by several

local authorities in the UK, USA and

Australia.

• Don’t let go!

BALLOONS CAN KILL WILDLIFE

RAZ ORBILL © CHRISTINE MC

GUINNESS

GREEN TUR TLE © ROD PENROSE

GRAEME CRESSWELL/BREA

THT

AKINGWHALES.C

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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?

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. 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.

Don’t let go!

(4)

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.

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

Organise a kite fly. Looks spectacular and is cheap and fun to organise.

Finally – if you have any good ideas please let us know!

Hand paint picture as a good way to mark the end of a

school year

What goes up…

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If y

ou would like t

o ﬁ nd out

more about the r

esponsible

use of balloons and the

eﬀ ec

ts of balloon releases

on the marine en

vironmen

t,

please visit

ww

w.mcsuk.or

g

You c

an also con

tact us a

t:

Mar

ine Conser

vation S

ociety

olf Business Par

Unit 3, W

k

Alton R

oad

Ross-on-W

ye

Heref

ordshir

e

HR9 5NB

Tel: 01989 566017

Fax: 01989 567815

E-mail: info@mcsuk

.org

Refer ences: Burchett e D.K . 1989.

A study of the eﬀ ec t of balloons releases on the en

vironmen t. Coe , J.M. and Rogers , D.B . 1997. ‘M arine D ebris S ources , Impac ts and Solutions ’ . Spr inger-V erlag , New Yor k, I nc MMSC. 1989. Mar ine mammals and sea turtles tha

t stranded af ter ingesting or bec oming entangled in man-made it

ems. Unpublished r eport, M ay 1989 b y the Mar ine Mammal Str anding Cen tre (MMSC ), New Jersey, USA

Coe , J.M. and Rogers , D.B . 1997. ‘M arine D ebris S ources , Impac ts and Solutions ’ . Spr inger-V erlag , New Yor k, I nc – W alker and Coe 1990 - C ommon Dolphin Sha ver , DJ & Plotkin, PT . 1998. Mar ine debris ingestion b y sea turtles in S

outh Texas: P re- and post M ARPOL Annex V. I n Byles , R & Y F ernandez (c ompilers). 1998. Proc eedings of the Sixteen

th Annual Symposium on S ea Tur

tle Biology and Conser vation. NO AA Technical M emorandum NMFS -SEFSC-412, 158pp. Coe , J.M. and Rogers , D.B . 1997. ‘M arine D ebris S ources , Impac ts and Solutions ’ . Spr inger-V erlag , New Yor k, I nc - U.S. Na tl. Mus (cit ed in W

alker & Coe 1990)

A. Collet , personal communica tion - Risso Coe , J.M. and Rogers , D.B . 1997. ‘M arine D ebris S ources , Impac ts and Solutions ’ . Spr inger-V erlag , New Yor k, I nc – Day 1980; R obards et al ., Chapter 6, C oe and Rogers; B ourne 1976; Van F raneker 1985; M oser and Lee 1992 – Nor

thern fulmars .

Lutz P . 1990.

Studies on the ingestion of plastic and latex b y sea turtles . In P roc eedings of the 2nd Int

erna tional Conf erenc es on Mar ine Debr is. Penr ose, R.S. UK and Eire Tur tle Strandings & Sigh tings Annual Repor

t 2002. 2003. Mar ine Envir onmental M onitor ing Beach wat ch 2005 The annual B each litter Sur

vey R eport. 2006. M arine C onserva tion Societ y. Interna tional Coastal Cleanup 2004

Andr ady A.L. 2000.

Plastics and their impac ts in the marine en vironmen t. In pr oceedings of the I nter national M arine D ebris C onfer ence on D erelic t Fishing

Gear and the O cean En vironmen t. © ROD PENROSE/MEM Marine turtles ar e particularly a t risk, as the y feed on marine cr eatur es that ﬂ oa t at the sur face, like jellyﬁ sh. L eatherback , loggerhead, K emp’s ridle y, green and ha wksbill turtles

have all been r ecor

ded in

UK and Irish wat ers, and

leatherbacks visit British wat ers ever y summer to feed on jellyﬁ sh. A ll these turtle species ar e kno wn

to ingest marine litt er, perhaps mistaking it f or their jellyﬁ sh pr ey. Experimen ts in the USA show

ed that

captive logger heads fed with small

pieces of la tex balloon t ook up to f

our

months t o pass the frag

ments . During

this time they experienc ed ﬂ ota

tion

abnormalities and their blood-sugar levels dr opped. Sadly

, ingestion can

also lead to dea th. The juv

enile green

Most people have not

consider

ed the fate

of balloons released

into the en

vironmen

t.

Studies suggest tha

t

most of these balloons

rise to high altitude

and burst into tin

y

ts, but 10%

fragmen

will not burst and can

be carried in the air

for long distanc

es.

Any par

tially inﬂ a

ted

,

whole balloons as

well as burst balloon

fragmen

ts, will ﬂ

oa

t

back down t

o earth

posing a serious threa

t

e.

to wildlif

The lar

gest ever

balloon release w

as 1.4

million balloons. T

his

may ha

ve r

esulted in

140,000 intac

t balloons

and millions of pieces

of balloon falling back

to ear

th.

Balloons and marine litt er pose a serious thr eat to wildlif e. Balloons and marine litt er such as plastic, discarded r ope, ﬁ shing nets and other marine debr is have been shown t o kill mar ine wildlife. En tangled animals can drown, asphyxia te (suﬀ oca te) or starve . If they ingest (swallo w) marine debr is it can damage or block the gut and lead to

starva tion. We k now tha t balloons can kill as ther e are man y cases around the w orld wher e the death of mar ine wildlife has

been attr ibuted t o balloon ingestion (swallo wing). In 1985 the Mar ine Mammal Stranding C entr e of New Jersey rec orded the dea th of a pyg my sper m whale that had starved af ter ingesting a mylar (f oil) balloon. In 1987 they rec orded the dea th

of a leather back turtle tha

t had starved af ter ingesting a partially inﬂ at ed latex (rubber) balloon. Other r ecor ds of balloon

ingestion include common dolphins in Calif ornian w aters , loggerhead tur tles in Texan wat ers, and a g reen tur tle that died in F lorida after ea ting a partially inﬂ at ed latex balloon. Closer to home , Risso ’s dolphins in French wat ers are k nown t o ingest balloons, as ar e

fulmars in the North

Sea, and tur tles (see

case study, belo w).

These c

ases are only the

ones we k

now of

. Most

marine crea

tures tha

t die

at sea ar

e never f

ound or

post mortemed

.

Case study: marine turtles

The MCS ‘Don ’t L et Go!’ campaign pack has been funded b

y Projec t Aw are F oundation (I nter national) and the Cr own Esta

te

FACTSHEET

Balloons can kill wildlif

e

What happens to balloons

after they are released?

post mortemed

.

turtle pic tured belo w washed up dead on a beach near Blackpool in 2001.

The post -mortem r evealed tha t the turtle ’s digestiv e trac t was c ompletely blocked by mar ine debris , including a large fr agmen t of blue latex balloon.

The block age led to the tur

tle starving to dea th. Dolphins , whales, turtles , seabirds and

other animals have

all been harmed or killed either b y swallo wing balloons or bec oming entangled in balloon

ribbons and string .

Don’t

Let

Go!

The MCS campaig

n for

responsible balloon use

Balloons can kill wildlife

�� �� ��

��

Protecting our seas, shores

and wildlife - now and for

future generations.

Don’t

Let

Go!

AL

TERR

A/V

AN FR

(6)

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. 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.

Filling

balloons

Balloons can be fi lled with either air or helium. MCS recommends that balloons are always air-fi lled. Accidentally released, air-fi lled balloons are relatively easy to retrieve, whereas helium-fi lled balloons fl oat upwards and disperse because helium is lighter than air.

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.

Studies indicate that balloons ﬂ oating 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. © Alt er ra - v an F raneker

Balloon types

A lasting problem

For more information about joining MCS or to get involved in the Adopt-a-Beach project call us or visit

www.adoptabeach.org.uk

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.

© PE

TER RICHARDSON/MCS

• Don’t let go of

balloons outdoors!

• Fill balloons with air

rather than helium.

• 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

Instead of releasing

balloons into the

environment why

not try a wildlife

friendly alternative?

Prize balloon

popping

-

air ﬁ ll your

balloons, and hide a

few prize tickets inside.

Release the balloons

indoors and have

everyone pop them to

ﬁ nd 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-ﬁ lled-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 ﬁ rst team to pop all

their balloons wins!

For more ideas, visit

our website.

You can enjoy balloons without

harming wildlife.

MCS guidelines for

wildlife friendly

balloon use

Understanding balloons

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?

We know that balloons can travel great distances. A balloon released in the middle of the UK can ﬁ nd 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.

ON/MCS

Latex (rubber) balloons

are made of natural latex rubber and will therefore biodegrade over a number of months or years. © GILL BELL/MCS © GILL BELL/MCS © SA M F ANSHA WE/MCS

It is illegal to litter under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, with fi nes of up to £2,500 for each off ence. Under this act it is an off ence to drop “or otherwise deposit” litter in a public place and therefore releasing balloons should be viewed as an off ence under this Act. However, released balloons are not currently defi ned as litter.

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. Mass balloon releases are also already banned in Florida, Virginia, Conneticut and Tennessee in the USA and New South Wales in Australia.

Balloons

and the

law

Use the information in this leaﬂ et 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.

take action

plastic ribbon.

www.mcsuk.org

ALTERRA/VAN FRANEKER

(7)

What happens to balloons

after they are released?

For information about the eﬀ ects of balloon releases on

the marine environment, please visit our website

Images: balloon release/CORBIS; fulmars and burst balloons/Alterra - van Franeker; child with balloon/Richard Harrington - MCS

The ‘Don’t Let Go!’ campaign pack was funded by Project Aware Foundation (International) and the Crown Estate