Each spring, during graduation ceremonies and other celebrations, it's not uncommon for helium-filled balloons to accidentally escape—often released unintentionally by friends or family caught up in the moment. While balloons may seem festive, once they float away, they will inevitably return to Earth as litter, posing threats to wildlife and the environment.
Balloon Bans In San Diego County
Anyone who has spent time at the beach has probably seen deflated balloons tangled in seaweed or half-buried in the sand. This is what inspired Surfrider San Diego’s Rise Above Plastics team to advocate for lighter-than-air balloon bans across San Diego County.
To date, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and Coronado have phased out the sale of helium-filled balloons. As other cities consider similar policies, it’s important to gather data that highlights the ubiquity of balloon debris.
An Easy Way to Report Balloon Litter
To support this effort, our friends at R/V Pilar have created a user-friendly online form where you can report balloon sightings by uploading images, sharing locations, and adding other relevant details.
This crowdsourced data will help highlight the scale of the balloon pollution problem and will provide data to support the need for more local action. In addition to the reporting tool, R/V Pilar’s website includes a petition and survey that can be completed by supporters of balloon bans everywhere.
Help Track Balloon Pollution
Whether you're at the beach, hiking a bluff, or walking through your neighborhood, if you spot a balloon, please take a photo and upload it to the tracker. Together, we can stop balloon pollution — one sighting at a time.
Resources:
- Hold Onto Your Balloons! Surfrider Releases New Balloon Policy Toolkit — Surfrider Foundation
- Balloons Blow … Don’t Let Them Go — Balloons Blow
- Why Balloons Are So Bad — RV Pillar