Multiple cities have banned plastic straws in a whiplash reaction to plastic pollution. Now that the anti-straw movement is in full swing, liberals have a new target: Balloons.
The AP reports that environmentalists are up in arms over rubber balloon fragments which fall back to earth after the inflated festive item has popped.
The joyous celebration of releasing balloons into the air has long bothered environmentalists, who say the pieces that fall back to earth can be deadly to seabirds and turtles that eat them. So as companies vow to banish plastic straws, there are signs balloons will be among the products to get more scrutiny, even though they’re a very small part of environmental pollution.
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The anti-balloon movement is gaining steam. Major football programs are ditching the practice of releasing balloons and their use is being discouraged for public events and venues.
From AP:
This year, college football powerhouse Clemson University is ending its tradition of releasing 10,000 balloons into the air before games, a move that’s part of its sustainability efforts. In Virginia, a campaign that urges alternatives to balloon releases at weddings is expanding. And a town in Rhode Island outright banned the sale of all balloons earlier this year, citing the harm to marine life.
Balloon release restrictions are already in the books in some states and environmentalists are pushing hard to toughen the restrictions. California has banned the sale of certain types of Balloons since the 1990’s and there is a major movement to make it the first state to outright ban the releasing of balloons into the air. Many of the left see balloons as the next logical step in what to ban after plastic bags and straws.
Balloons do not crack the top 10 pollutants in America.