Dutch towns ban balloons over environmental threat

Amsterdam:  More and more Dutch towns are banning the flying ofballoons: in 17 per cent of municipalities there is currently a ban, according to a study by the environmental organization De Noordzee(The North Sea) released on Wednesday. A year earlier, it was only 5 per cent. In addition, 20 per cent of Dutch municipalities strongly advise against flying balloons during celebrations. Several parties in the Dutch parliament want to push for further bansand expressed concern on Tuesday evening in The Hague about possibledamage from the remnants of balloons and plastic waste in the NorthSea. According to environmentalists, balloons are dangerous for marinemammals, birds and fish, which can choke on the plastic residue. In addition, balloon waste contributes to the pollution of the seaand the coasts. According to a study, seabirds in particular fall victim to balloonwaste: Researchers found that in 20 per cent of dead seabirds plasticor balloon waste was found to be the cause of death. Recently, Lauren Roman of the University of Tasmania in Australiasaid that balloons or balloon parts are the deadliest rubbish in thesea. The probability of dying from such pieces of rubber is about 32 timeshigher than with harder plastic parts, researchers wrote in thejournal Scientific Reports. The environmental foundation De Noordzee is committed to a generalban on balloons in nature. According to the foundation, most of thebans in the Netherlands exist in coastal areas and on the Wadden Seaislands.