# Am I Littering When I Release a Helium Balloon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866 "2012-12-22T20:24:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tompitch4d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@tompitch4d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tompitch4d)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/1 "2012-12-22T20:24:11Z")
I know the party balloon I release will eventually come down somewhere else, does that count as littering or not? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/2 "2012-12-22T20:57:13Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/3 "2012-12-22T21:01:22Z")
[Says here](http://studiocity.patch.com/articles/mylar-balloons-can-be-dangerous-and-short-circuit-power-lines) the Mylar ones can short-circuit power lines. Supposedly Mythbusters is going to do that one on their _Breaking Bad_ episode. Wouldn’t a large bunch of them, particularly the Mylar type, also pose a hazard to aviation? ---
**Author:** ![tompitch4d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@tompitch4d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tompitch4d)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/4 "2012-12-22T21:20:44Z")
To clarify, I am asking a legal question not a moral one. I know that thousands of helium balloons are released at sanctioned events such as football games, celebrations, and memorials. I’m wondering about the basis for litter laws and if law enforcement must witness both the litter hitting the ground and the litterer at about the same time. I’m sure I could get a ticket if I dumped a box full of deflated balloons on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/5 "2012-12-22T21:23:47Z")
At least latex balloons are [biodegradable](http://www.balloonhq.com/BalloonCouncil/faq.html#bio): > [@](#): > > Research shows that under similar environmental conditions, latex balloons will biodegrade at about the same rate as a leaf from an oak tree. Of course, they will still leave a mess until then (the same source says they aren’t really a hazard to animals either, at least not when they are released, where they eventually freeze and burst into small pieces). ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/6 "2012-12-22T22:22:01Z")
I [googled](http://definitions.uslegal.com/l/litter/) that for ya… it seems that the primary concern is not where you put it, but that you’re done with it: > [@](#): > > The following is an example of a local law dealing with litter: > > "Litter - any solid or liquid material or product or combination of solid or liquid materials or products, including, but not limited to: > > any rubbish, refuse, garbage, paper, package, container, bottle, can, manure, or sewage or the whole or a part of an animal carcass or > the whole or part of any article, raw or processed material, Motor Vehicle or other machinery, **that is disposed of** ; or > any other material or product that is designated as litter in the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, as amended and the Regulations thereunder." Local laws may (and probably do) vary, but if you release a balloon with no way to get it back, you’re done with it, and it is now trash. If it’s not in an appropriate trash receptacle, you have littered. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/7 "2012-12-22T22:55:16Z")
> [@tompitch4d](#): > > To clarify, I am asking a legal question not a moral one. Interesting question. Maybe there’s a difference between committing a misdemeanor and committing yourself to committing one, but there shouldn’t be. Judges are there to use judgement, so maybe that’s what happens. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/8 "2012-12-22T23:23:54Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I [googled](http://definitions.uslegal.com/l/litter/) that for ya… it seems that the primary concern is not where you put it, but that you’re done with it: > > Local laws may (and probably do) vary, but if you release a balloon with no way to get it back, you’re done with it, and it is now trash. If it’s not in an appropriate trash receptacle, you have littered. That is a interesting interpretation, though I don’t believe that is in any way how balloons are released. When intentionally released you are just starting using it as you release it. Normally one would watch it ascend as air currents take it further away till you can’t see it anymore. Also there seems to be a jurisdictional issue of release point to falling to earth point. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/9 "2012-12-22T23:51:40Z")
If I stand at the top of a very tall mountain with a strong wind at my back, finish my can of soda and hurl it into the sky to watch it slowly fall and drift in the wind, and then turn and walk away before it lands in the next county, is that littering? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/10 "2012-12-23T00:28:58Z")
The problem here is one of scale: If _I_ release _one balloon_ that _one time_ then that is _hardly_ littering. Yeah? What if _millions_ release _hundreds of balloons_ _daily_? You see the problem now? When you wake up in the morning to find wilted balloons covering your car, you’ll declare balloon releases immoral and be calling your legislative representatives to do something about the menace. So, if it’s littering if millions do it. It’s littering if just you do it. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/11 "2012-12-23T00:39:32Z")
Of course it is. Now allow me a wee rant. I hike a lot in the wilderness. You would not believe the number of Mylar balloons I’ve run across. There is nothing like having a beautiful meadow view spoiled by a red heart shaped balloon that says Happy Birthday. Once I got lost and was bush whacking through some terribly dense underbrush only to find myself face to face with a goofy grinning Micky Mouse balloon. Arrggghh!! I could reel off other episodes as well. I hate, hate, hate them as litter. Don’t throw trash out of your car window, don’t throw your cigarette butts on the side walk and don’t fucking release balloons. Please. [/wee rant] ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/12 "2012-12-23T00:58:34Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If I stand at the top of a very tall mountain with a strong wind at my back, finish my can of soda and hurl it into the sky to watch it slowly fall and drift in the wind, and then turn and walk away before it lands in the next county, is that littering? Is the can reasonably recoverable - While I can understand the underlying sentiment, and agree there is something to drinking something and then throwing the can away, it needs to be taken in context. What you describe to me would qualify as ‘freedom of religion’ and protected if done with the right intention - even if you are not religions, or even of you don’t belief in God. It could be part of the human experience. And part of the human experience is sometimes letting loose, other times taking responsibility for others realizing we are all having a human experience and there are times to let loose. Peace ---
**Author:** ![tompitch4d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@tompitch4d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tompitch4d)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/13 "2012-12-23T03:51:23Z")
OK, it’s littering, I even looked online and found several states (Connecticut, Virginia and Florida) that outlaw mass balloon releases. But, if you go to Google News and type in “balloon release” you will find eight pages of planned events featuring this method of littering some even with government sanction. So now my question is two-fold, why can’t people see what I’ve learned here and why can’t existing litter laws be used to end this practice? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/14 "2012-12-23T04:35:07Z")
You are also contributing to the world-wide [helium shortage](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/us/a-helium-shortage-leads-to-fewer-balloons-in-the-sky.html?_r=0). ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/15 "2012-12-23T19:23:23Z")
Another littering problem is caused by those so-called “sky lanterns” . I have heard that the wire framework can be eaten by cattle :- [http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/06/19/sky-lanterns/](http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/06/19/sky-lanterns/) They can be a nuisance if they end up on an airport runway, and they have even been mistaken for distress flares by the coastguard service. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/16 "2012-12-23T20:55:13Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > You are also contributing to the world-wide [helium shortage](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/us/a-helium-shortage-leads-to-fewer-balloons-in-the-sky.html?_r=0). Why not just use hydrogen? Oh, I [forgot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster) (but really, a small hydrogen-filled balloon isn’t the same and common sense should prevent accidents). ---
**Author:** ![tompitch4d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@tompitch4d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tompitch4d)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/17 "2012-12-24T13:23:54Z")
Here is an example of my question regarding the basis for and enforcement of litter laws when it comes to balloon releases. Several states and municipalities have similar “specialty” laws that address balloon releases but I want to know why existing, presumably universal, litter laws aren’t invoked? Is it jurisdictional? As in, the balloon goes up in city X but lands in city Y. Any litter law experts out there? Connecticut Release of lighter-than-air balloons restricted. Penalty Title 26\> Chapter 490 \> § 26-25c a) No person, nonprofit organization, firm or corporation, including the state and its political subdivisions, shall knowingly release, organize the release of or intentionally cause to be released into the atmosphere within a twenty-four-hour period ten or more helium or other lighter-than-air gas balloons in the state. (b) Any violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be an infraction. Current: 2009. Source: [http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/connecticut/ctlaws/connecticut\_statutes\_title\_26\_chapter\_490](http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/connecticut/ctlaws/connecticut_statutes_title_26_chapter_490) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/18 "2012-12-25T04:11:55Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Of course it is. > > Now allow me a wee rant. I hike a lot in the wilderness. You would not believe the number of Mylar balloons I’ve run across. There is nothing like having a beautiful meadow view spoiled by a red heart shaped balloon that says Happy Birthday. Once I got lost and was bush whacking through some terribly dense underbrush only to find myself face to face with a goofy grinning Micky Mouse balloon. Arrggghh!! I could reel off other episodes as well. I hate, hate, hate them as litter. > > Don’t throw trash out of your car window, don’t throw your cigarette butts on the side walk and don’t fucking release balloons. Please. > > [/wee rant] this, a thousand times. ---
**Author:** ![tompitch4d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@tompitch4d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tompitch4d)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/19 "2013-01-15T03:16:07Z")
Well here is an example of a local government, in this case a fire department, participating in a helium balloon release which most of you have equated to mass littering. I renew my quest for a legal opinion on why existing litter laws can’t be used to stop these widespread events. > **[Local balloon release for Sandy Hook victims draws environmental concerns](https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/express-times/2013/01/balloons_released_for_victims.html)** > > A Facebook debate erupted after plans to release balloons in Warren County in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Vote in the NEWS POLL. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866/20 "2013-01-15T08:32:53Z")
Who’s to say they can’t? But which PD is going to prioritize it? Who’s going to report it even when it happens? How are they going to prove it after the release has happened? Which lawmaking group is to make it a legislative priority? Essentially, who’s going to care? Only environmentalists, as your article says. And the environment is usually last on any list of concerns. Go ahead. Call it in. They’ll probably say “Thank you for the information. We’ll look into it.” and then never think about it again. Of course it’s littering. Does anybody with the power to do something about it care? Not a chance in hell. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-littering-when-i-release-a-helium-balloon/644866.md?page=2)