According to BBC News, The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is concerned about marine life being harmed and killed by balloons that end up in the ocean, and washed up on shore from mass balloon releases. Turtles have died after eating the balloons, mistaking them for something tasty, while shorebirds have gotten entangled in balloon strings, rendering them immobile- and the problem is getting worse.
"In the last 10 years we have seen a 260% increase in the number of balloons we are finding on our beaches."
The balloon manufacturers are on the defense, making claims that there is no proof that latex balloons kill animals, and that the balloons are biodegradable. Latex balloons are biodegradable, but in the water this process can take a very long time. The MSC is trying to convince people that are planning a mass balloon release to try something different, maybe fill up the balloons with regular air instead of helium so they cannot travel so far. They are asking organizers to consider where the balloons that they release may end up, and what impact the release may have on wildlife.
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Balloon releases are so odd. It's like hey, let's just all release all this trash into the air all at once! It makes no sense.
Speaking of ocean trash, plastic bags are another big problem. They're not biodegradable at all and yet with the unimaginable amount that is used around the world, a lot of it ends up in the ocean. There are places in the ocean where all you can see for miles is a great big line of plastic trash stretching all the way to the horizon.
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