Open petition: Ban balloon releases
Created by Keeley Anne Stephenson
Closes on
I would like the Government to ban balloon releases due to the devastating impact, misery and suffering they can cause to marine life and other animals, including swallowing balloons, getting tangled in balloons, and dying a painful death as a result of this.
Releasing balloons into the sky can cause mass devastation to wildlife and can endanger the environment. I feel very passionate about banning this practice completely. I believe that if people could see first hand and educate themselves about cruelty and suffering caused by releasing balloons, they would support banning balloon releases completely.
17,724 signatures
Petition progress
View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.
-
Government responded to this petition
Councils have the local knowledge and the powers to apply controls to restrict or ban the release of balloons on council or public land.
Read the response in full
The government recognises the scale and impact of plastic pollution and is focused on preventing and reducing plastic, and other litter, entering the environment. We want a country where waste is designed out of our economy, so our nature can thrive.
We are also making sure we are following the evidence, so that the action taken is the most effective it can be. As such, in 2023, Defra published a report that examined the risks that helium balloons and other items such as sky lanterns, pose to the environment and animal welfare. The report is available on GOV.UK at https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=21420.
This research suggests risks to the environment and animal welfare remain low. This government therefore prefers decisions on banning balloons to be made at a local level by councils, as they will have better intelligence on whether balloons are a specific problem for the environment or animal welfare in their area.Local councils have powers to apply controls to restrict or ban the release of balloons on council or public land. Alternatively, they can also issue a fixed penalty notice for littering of up to £750 (up from £500 from 1 September 2026) to anyone who has littered balloons.
Furthermore, we will review the latest evidence on problematic single-use plastic products and/or materials to understand where to prioritise future action to make sure that it has the most impact. As part of this approach, we have put in place restrictions on the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and taken steps to encourage reuse solutions. For example, we have banned the supply of single-use vapes. All vapes sold in the UK must now be rechargeable and refillable. We have also legislated to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in England, marking a major step forward in tackling the plastic and microplastic pollution that harms our waterways.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
-
Government will respond to this petition
This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.
-
Petition published
This petition can now be signed.
If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.
If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
This petition will stay open until 11 December 2026.