Mylar balloons no party for wildlife
Each year, spring is a time for celebrations, from Mother's Day, to school graduations, to the occasional birthday and wedding. These special events often include latex and plastic Mylar balloons to commemorate the moment and colorful, shiny, and festive single-use party decorations. “Unfortunately, this also coincides with an uptick in balloon pollution,” says Rachel Kippen, conservation representative on the sanctuary advisory council. Balloons are frequently intentionally or accidentally released into the sky, and once they go up, they must also come down. According to Kippen, “from May through July in 2023, Save Our Shores collected 92 balloons during Santa Cruz County beach cleanups, and Marine Life Studies reported removing 22 balloons from the ocean. The number of balloons collected certainly does not represent the number that are affecting the sanctuary because we unfortunately are not capturing all of the pollutants.”
When not properly disposed of, balloons can harm or harm sanctuary wildlife. Deflated balloons have been found along beaches, floating miles offshore, and even occupying the deepest depths of our ocean. Once in the marine environment, marine life can mistake balloons for food, and if ingested, can lead to loss of nutrition or cause suffocation, starvation, and death. String or ribbon is often attached to balloons can cause entanglement and injury. Mylar balloons are often covered in metallic paint which chip off into small particles into the ocean.
“Marine life depends on an abundance of food in the sanctuary each year,” says Amity Wood, education coordinator with Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. “Endangered leatherback turtles migrate to Monterey Bay to feed exclusively on jellies, and unfortunately, deflated balloons on the surface appear just like drifting jellies,” Wood added. In addition, long-ranging seabirds that migrate to the sanctuary primarily to feed like albatross and shearwaters have been known to feed their offspring pieces of latex and Mylar, or get tangled in the long ribbons and strings. Wood noted, “these are just some of the threats that can be seen, but in the deep ocean, submerged balloons and strings can get caught in fragile deep-sea corals that are hundreds of years old. The plastics that end up in our ocean will affect generations of animals seeking to survive.”
Many changes to practices and policies on balloons come from youth voices. Students all over the country are calling for balloon restrictions, with many cities passing ordinances on the use in their community. For example, students from Pacific Grove Middle School, a NOAA Ocean Guardian School, successfully lobbied the Pacific
Grove City Council to ban balloons at all citysponsored events, and the school board to ban balloons district wide. Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Watsonville also banned balloons at school-sponsored events in response to student-driven petitions for increased environmental protections.
“Follow through on policies like these is where the rubber meets the road,” added Kippen. “Outreach to school districts prior to graduation to ensure that folks do not use balloons, and schools using alternatives in the ceremonies they create is an opportunity to lead by example.”
Balloon pollution and other types of marine debris are completely preventable. If you do purchase a balloon, ensure that it is tethered securely and preferably used only indoors. When done with use, deflate entirely and cut off all ribbons or strings before properly disposing in the trash. Better yet, use more eco-friendly alternatives, such as flowers, flags, paper streamers, or reusable glass ornaments for your next celebration. “Humans are creative and artistic. Using alternatives to balloons, and promoting the use of alternatives in our community, is something we excel at,” says Kippen.
Superintendent Lisa Wooninck and her staff at NOAA's Monterey
Bay National Marine Sanctuary conduct research, education and resource protection in one of most biodiverse marine protected areas in the world. Learn about new and exciting stories by the sanctuary within these articles Lisa can be reached at lisa.wooninck@ noaa.gov. To learn more about the sanctuary, visit montereybay.noaa.gov.