1,000 signatures reached
To: Federal Ministers for Environment, Mr Trevor Evans and Ms Sussan Ley
Ban helium filled balloons Australia-wide
Unite the states and territories for a national ban on the release of balloons, and national regulation on the sale and use of helium to inflate balloons to stop balloon releases at the source.
Why is this important?
* When helium filled balloons are released, either accidentally or deliberately, they come back to Earth as litter, sometimes hundreds of kilometres away, and threaten wildlife and farm animals.
* Birds, whales, sea turtles and other animals, wild and domesticated, have been killed by balloons, mistakingly eating them as jellyfish or other food.
* Death occurs slowly through starvation caused by a blocked intestinal tract when the balloon combines with stomach juices.
* Plastic disks can cause choking or blockages.
* Entanglement in attached streamers also occurs,
causing death.
* Balloons pose a threat if whole, burst or remnant.
* With added chemicals for colour, longevity etc, latex balloons do not biodegrade, and Mylar balloons break up into microplastics.
* Helium is a valuable and non-renewable gas, extracted from the Earth’s crust.
* It is vital to many medical and scientific applications, such as cooling magnets in MRI machines.
* Helium is needlessly wasted when used to inflate party, promotional or ceremonial balloons.
* Accidental release occurs far more easily when balloons are inflated with helium.
* Just one accidentally released balloon can kill or harm marine or land wildlife.
Going without helium filled balloons is one small step we can take to protect wildlife and reduce the impact of human activity on the natural environment.