Byron Shire Council announces balloon ban at its sites in northern NSW tourist hotspot
A municipality has banned balloons at all its locations in a huge blow to locals and tourists.
Byron Shire Council in northern NSW played party pooper on Tuesday with an announcement of the ban on indoor and outdoor venues including playgrounds, sports facilities, swimming pools, parks and even letterboxes and street bollards.
It was part of a recent crackdown on single-use plastics and other common litter items such as discs, ribbons and strings attached to balloons, glitter, confetti, streamers, tinsel, party poppers and glow sticks.
The ban extends to biodegradable balloons and all inflatables made of helium, latex and water.
Balloons pose a danger to native seabirds and other marine life such as turtles, according to Mayor Michael Lyon, who insists the ban is “the right thing to do.”
Party balloons should be banned at all Byron Shire Council-owned venues in northern NSW. The photo shows beachgoers in the tourist hotspot
“We know that balloons are one of the deadliest types of debris impacting Australian seabirds and other marine life, including turtles, which eat burst balloons because they resemble jellyfish,” Cr Lyon said.
“If balloons and holiday decorations end up in our oceans and waterways and harm our precious marine life, we must take strong and immediate action to prevent this.
“It’s what our community expects and absolutely the right thing to do.”
Surprisingly, Lily Boyau, owner of Byron Bay Bang Bang Balloons, came out in support of the ban.
“This ban should be the way of the future because no one needs to throw balloons into the environment for any reason,” she told the newspaper. Daily telegram.
‘We are not in favor of helium balloons being released anywhere.’
A number of northern NSW councils have banned party balloons at their sites due to environmental concerns
Byron Bay Mayor Michael Lyon said deflated balloons pose a danger to native seabirds and marine life such as turtles
Bang Bang Balloons sends employees to pick up the balloons after an event and send them to TerraCycle for recycling.
The store also recommends less harmful festive alternatives such as flowers, fairy lights, streamers, lanterns, bubbles, kites, pinwheels and ribbon sticks.
“Many local events and venues have already taken the step to eliminate some of these items, and this is just the next phase of Byron leading the way,” Cr Lyon added.
Nearby Ballina Shire has a similar ban that came into effect last year.
Neighboring Tweed Council also announced a total balloon ban that came into effect in January 2023
“Balloons, once part of a celebration, appear to be causing great damage to animals and marine life,” the council said at the time.
‘Whether they are foil, latex or so-called environmentally friendly materials, all balloons have the potential to harm our local ecosystems.’
Even biodegradable products can take years to spoil. During that time, they can be devastating to animals that swallow parts of them or become entangled in the strings they are often attached to.”
The municipality had already banned helium balloons on its territory last September.
It says this was in line with the NSW Government’s ban on single-use plastics, which includes items such as plastic containers and cups, stirrers and plastic microbeads.
The balloon ban was announced in response to concerns about seabirds and marine life