The responsible use and disposal of balloons at parties and in the home.
At Partybox Ltd we try to make sure that we reduce waste and minimise the use of plastic where we can afford to do so. The aim is that we will be able to use all recyclable or biodegradable materials within 5 years of trading. One area that we are particularly conscious about is the use of balloons. Since the lockdown, balloon delivery and decoration is one of the areas of businesses that have continued to flourish. This maybe because people are looking for ways to decorate their homes to make celebrations special where they are unable to have a party.
Balloons are becoming evermore popular with party organisers transforming the look of a party and creating the most amazing themed feature pieces. Lets find out a bit more about the balloons on offer and consider the environmental impact.
There are three main types of balloons that can be found on the high street: Latex and Myler Nylon (foil), and the recently more popular plastic balloons. All of them can be damaging to the environment as are most things us humans partake in. Rather than steer people away from using them altogether the purpose of this article is about minimising the impact to the environment.
First let’s look at Latex balloons: 100% Latex Balloons are Biodegradable. Latex is derived from a Rubber tree by tapping the bark and releasing the Latex inside it. Once trees have stopped providing Latex they are used for wood and another tree is planted. The time they take to biodegrade is roughly the same as wood fibres. They can take from approximately 6 months to 4 years to decay dependant on the environment they are left in. Therefore, it is important to discard of your balloons appropriately by composting them or putting them in the bin. This avoids the issues that we have seen in wildlife where balloons have been the main cause of death after being ingested by animals. This is NOT ok and can be avoided.
Helium balloons are at particular risk of being discarded inappropriately especially if one of them floats off. It can literally end up anywhere and many have been found in deceased sea creatures. It is really important if you are using helium balloons that you tie they securely to a weight to avoid this happening.
Latex balloons can also be reused even though they are not yet recyclable. To reuse them you will need to tie them in a special way or use a stopper that can easily be removed. We have a video for you to watch here.
Myler Nylon (foil balloons) are not biodegradable. This is not to say we should not use them as they can often be reused and refilled several times. They can also be recycled at some recycling points so have a look and see if there is one near you and after you have finished with them take them for recycling.
Plastic Balloons are increasing in popularity as they can easily be filled with other balloons and look really effective. They are also useful for people allergic to latex. However, correct me if I am wrong (please comment if you have any further information about this) from what I can see these are not easily decomposable nor are they recyclable. If you are concerned about the environment perhaps these are the ones you should avoid.
At Partybox Ltd we enjoy using balloons, but we also enjoy using them responsibly. We use them for games at parties and having a good entertainer balloon modelling can bring delight and beaming smiles to our young guests. Using balloons gets a lot of bad press but when you investigate it further, depending on the type of balloon and if used responsibly should only have a minimum impact to the environment. We will be looking at decorating venues without the use of plastic in a later edition of our blog for those of you that want to look at having a plastic free party.
This is a fantastic website below and well worth having a look at if you enjoy using balloons.
https://balloonfacts.org/articles/are-balloons-biodegradable/