BENGALURU: Ahead of Independence Day, Bengaluru-based eco activists have renewed their ‘No Balloons Please’ campaign, urging citizens, communities and establishments to avoid balloons and balloon releases during celebrations and to opt for reusable and compostable alternatives.
Spearheaded by Beautiful Bharath, a citizen volunteer community working on sustainability and clean cities, the campaign highlights the environmental, health and civic risks associated with balloons.
The volunteers said balloons are largely single-use and non-recyclable, ending up in landfills or as non-recoverable street litter. Their fragments can disintegrate into smaller particles and microplastics, contaminating soil and potentially entering water bodies through rain and drains. Balloon waste reaching oceans can also be mistaken for food by turtles and other marine animals, while strings can entangle birds and wildlife.
The campaign also flags human health and safety concerns, including choking risks from balloon fragments for infants, latex allergies and potential accidents involving hydrogen-filled balloons near heat sources. Volunteers also point to risks from foil balloons coming into contact with power cables and the wastage of helium, a finite resource with important medical applications.
Speaking to TNIE, community founder Odette Katrak said, “Let our celebrations not create distress for other creatures. Balloon strings can entangle birds and animals, while fragments that reach water bodies can be swallowed by turtles and other marine life. Giving up balloons does not mean giving up celebrations; it means celebrating with greater responsibility.”
The campaign is promoting cloth, paper and flowers as alternatives. Cloth decorations can be reused, paper can be reused or recycled, while flowers can be composted.
“There is no shortage of alternatives. What is missing is awareness and, sometimes, the availability of those alternatives,” she said, adding that the group is also working to increase access to sustainable decorations. “A decoration does not have to be disposable to be beautiful,” Katrak said.