Will Balloons Be Banned in Michigan?

Balloons banned in Michigan?

At many events, you see a cluster of balloons being released, filled with helium, heading for the skies and points unknown from there on. Sporting events, wedding receptions, new business openings, etc...balloon-releasing has been popular for many years.

Now that little gesture of fun could be banned in Michigan.

Get our free mobile app

A bill was introduced a few years ago that would ban balloons from being released by private citizens. Ten states have already put the ban in effect. Why?

It all stems from a Bloomfield Hills student who found out about all the balloon debris scattered throughout Michigan. In 2021, she joined other interested people and sought the ban, citing the danger it posed to birds. She mentioned that many seabirds have eaten parts of those latex balloons, with approximately 40% of them dying. According to Bridge Michigan, “Small pieces that break off from a latex balloon are 32 times more likely to kill seabirds than other debris.”

Not only has balloon debris been found to be dangerous to birds but deflated and popped pieces have been discovered washed up and littered on many Michigan lake shores. Volunteers between 2016 and 2018 discovered more than 18,000 pieces of balloon debris along the shorelines of the Great Lakes. In 2022, that number was down to 3,885 balloons, with 1,032 of them found on Michigan shorelines.

One advocate stated “Just like fireworks, sometimes I think people aren’t aware that when you send something up, it has to come down somewhere.”

So far, balloon-releasing has not been banned in Michigan.