More and more municipalities in the netherlands ban balloons
More and more dutch municipalities are banning balloons from the air. In 17 percent of the municipalities there is a balloon ban, according to a survey by the environmental organization de noordzee. A year earlier, the figure was 5 percent. 20 percent of dutch municipalities also strongly discourage the use of balloons for celebrations. Several parties in the dutch parliament plan to push for further bans and expressed concern tuesday night in the hague about possible harm from balloon debris and plastic gull in the north sea.
Environmental protection: balloons are dangerous
Balloons are dangerous to marine mammals, birds and fish, according to environmentalists. They could choke on the plastic residue. In addition, the waste contributes to the pollution of the sea and the coasts. Seabirds in particular fall victim to balloon debris, according to a study: researchers found that plastic gauze or balloon debris was the cause of death in 20 percent of seabirds found dead.
"The deadliest mull in the sea"
Recently, lauren roman from the university of tasmania in australia had already said: "balloons or balloon parts are the most deadly mull in the sea." The researchers wrote in the journal "scientific reports" that the likelihood of dying from such rubber pucks is about 32 times higher than from harder plastic parts.
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The environmental foundation de noordzee advocates a general ban on balloons in nature. Most bans in the netherlands are in the coastal areas and wadden islands, according to the foundation.
