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“Balloons, they are the number one form of trash on the beach and we find many birds and seals every year who have died because of eating them…”
This was what I heard last year on one of my morning walks, when I asked this question of an older beach patrol officer, who has been on or around the water all his life (click here for the full story).
Most people asked this question answer “plastic bottles”. They are a problem for sure, but, like the old sea dog I queried, my experience points to balloons.
As an example, the count from my morning walk today was the following:
Yesterday, I picked up 38 balloons, and one morning last year , I picked up 59 in less than 40 minutes.
In addition to the sheer volume of balloons, one of the more detrimental properties about balloons is that they blow.
I have written about this before and assuredly will again, but a picture from my walk yesterday drives home this point. A balloon I found on Martha’s Vineyard was from Astoria Queens in New York city.
More on this can be found at a website that we strongly encourage you to follow: Balloons Blow
The Balloons Blow website highlights not only the problem balloons cause for our oceans, but also how they harm wildlife on land and are a major cause of power outages.
Cities and towns such following have either banned helium balloons completely or made balloon releases illegal.
California, Connecticut and Florida have also taken state wide action (more can be found here ).
Please help raise awareness in your community about this problem that is literally blowing around the globe. Every little action can make a difference, so take some time to make a lasting impact.
Help Clean Up Oceans by not letting balloons blow.
For more on Clean Up Oceans and links to organizations that you can support, please click the following or contact Preston McSwain directly.