Balloons and the Earth

Published by Balloons by Tommy on

Earth Day is a great reminder for all of us to appreciate our planet and the environment a little more. We want to help you join in on the celebration by offering a bit of factual information regarding balloons and our planet.

Biodegradable balloons

Latex balloons are not plastic. They are made from biodegradable natural rubber latex and, even better, they can be composted. This is possible because they are created using a product derived from trees using a tapping method; similar to how maple syrup is collected. The trees themselves are not harmed, removed, or destroyed in any way and can produce latex for over 30 years! The time it takes balloons to breakdown varies depending on the environment they’re in. Typically, it happens at the same rate as wood fibers or an oak leaf.

Pioneer Balloon Company, a balloon manufacturer, is continuing to invest in sustainable projects within the balloon industry. Their latex supplier works alongside community members at their plantations to help support local farmers to reforest degraded land and develop sustainable farms while assisting the community with housing, schools and hospital needs as well. Their mission to continue to share the joy of balloons responsibly is one we proudly support.

Balloons and the environment

Balloons of any type should NEVER be released into the air or left behind after your event. Once they pop, balloons become litter which can harm wildlife; even more so when there are ribbons and strings attached. Foil balloons, sometimes referred to as mylar balloons, can become entangled in power lines and cause power outages. When celebrating an event, especially while outdoors, remember to dispose of your balloons properly after use; instead of just leaving them behind.

Whether it's a single balloon or hundreds, don't let it go.

Whether it’s a single balloon or hundreds, don’t let it go.

While we provide outdoor balloon decorations we also take extra steps to make sure that everything is secured and will not accidentally fly away. We also offer strike services to our clients to make sure that all of the decor is cleaned up and disposed of properly without them having to worry about it or possibly over look it.

Pin it and bin it

Make the clean up of your balloons fun and have a popping after party! You’re already cleaning up the tables, go and gather all of your balloon decorations too. Place them into one area, near a garbage can if possible, and let part two of the party begin. Try and keep all of the balloons, strings, and weights in the same area while popping the balloons. Once everything has been popped, scoop it all up and toss it in the garbage. All of your event’s balloons will create less trash than a single plastic tablecloth! The event industry, your fellow humans, wildlife, and the environment thank you for helping to keep the planet clean and beautiful.

Tommy holding a room's worth of popped balloon decor in less than a garbage bag.

This entire room’s balloon decor fit into less than a garbage bag after it was all popped.

Hiring a professional balloon company, like us, to decorate your event can help save you time and effort while making it stress-free. You will have creative balloon decor knowing that a professional is taking care of everything while keeping the safety of your guests and the environment in mind.

Learn more

Interested in learning more about how to be environmentally friendly while responsibly using balloons as decor? Balloon Facts is a great place to start for factual research based information. For example: The helium used in balloon decorations, like bouquets, is not being wasted or taken away from other industries, even during shortages. Helium shortages occur mainly to decreased supply from producers which then trickles down into all industries that use it. There are different purity levels which impact what that particular grade of helium can be used for. The helium needed for medical and technology use requires a higher grade of purity than what we use in balloons.