The Florida state legislature recently passed a bill that would ban the intentional release of balloons.
While it may look pretty to see a bunch of balloons rising into the sky, they can be “one of the deadliest forms of plastic pollution for ocean wildlife,” according to Oceana, which adds:
“Balloons and their plastic ribbons, tie-off disks, clips, and other attachments can be easily ingested and swallowed by endangered sea turtles, seabirds, and other ocean wildlife. In fact, studies show balloons rank among the deadliest ocean plastic for key wildlife and are the deadliest form of plastic debris for seabirds.”
Oceana Field Campaigns Manager Hunter Miller said of the ban:
“Florida made the right call today in banning intentional balloon releases. Balloons are one of the deadliest forms of plastic pollution for ocean wildlife. It’s great to see state legislators from both sides of the aisle come together to support a commonsense bill and get it passed. We call on Governor DeSantis to quickly sign this into law.”
