DON'T LET GO

BALLOON releases are a deadly litter.

BALLOON releases can be done as a prayer ceremony, for campaigns, awareness, celebrations etc. Psychologically they make us happy.

Did you know? The very first balloons are made of inflated pig bladders and animal intestines.

There are different types of balloons: latex, mylar (foil coated), bubble, observation balloons, and helium balloons.

Purpose and celebrations may be different but there's a huge impact on the environment.

It is hazardous to the atmosphere.

FOIL balloons are made from film of plastic and metal and are not biodegradable nor recyclable or can be disposed of properly.
LATEX balloons are made from the sap of rubber tree and is biodegradable but the color pigments used are harmful and takes many years to decompose. It gets stuck in the intestines of animals and birds. It's not recyclable.
MYLAR Balloons are made out of NASA-grade nylon, which is not biodegradable and hangs in the environment indefinitely. They deteriorate in seawater more slowly than on land.
HELIUM balloons can rise to altitudes of 5 miles (8 km) They can land in farm pastures, forests, valleys, or simply can interfere with airplanes. They land in oceans to get entangled in the flippers of turtles or eaten by mistake. They use the world's helium.
Environmental Step: In Singapore, we need to get permission from government aviation in order to release helium balloons
Balloons can contribute to microplastic pollution that can end up in a fish or organism.
It gets entangled in power lines.
It blocks the digestive tracts of species.

Interesting fact: In few countries, releasing 100 or more balloons is an aggravated offense that can be penalized.

To celebrate, there are many other ways -

References:

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