Policies and Laws

While education and awareness, and a change in behavior and social norms, are key to preventing litter from released balloons, policies and laws are also needed to help decrease the occurrence of this form of litter.

Policies

Policy makers at schools, universities, parks, beaches, and other places where people gather to celebrate can offer alternative practices that are emotionally gratifying for participants while not creating harmful litter. Most organizations have anti-litter policies in place; they can expand these anti-litter policies to include the release of balloons. Venues that are used for celebrations and memorials – including churches, vineyards, restaurants, marinas, and wedding sites – often have policies in their contracts that prohibit balloon releases, confetti and other types of litter.

Some companies that use balloons as decorations have pledged to not support, condone, nor facilitate the deliberate release of balloons.

 Laws

Many states, counties, towns and cities around the world have laws in place to prevent the release of balloons. Some laws limit the number and types of balloons that can be released, others are outright bans on releasing helium-filled balloons.

According to Balloons Blow, mass balloon releases are illegal in California, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Maryland passed a ban on balloon releases in 2020.

An ever-growing list of cities worldwide have laws that prohibit balloon releases, or proscribe the types and manners in which balloons are sold. For example, laws in Nantucket and Provincetown, Massachusetts ban the sale or use of any helium-filled balloon.

For a complete list of laws, visit Balloons Blow.