It will soon be illegal for residents in part of Melbourne, Australia to sell or use balloons and other disposable plastic products following a unanimous vote by the local council.
Residents looking to buy balloons for a party or event will find them increasingly harder to find as the ban comes into effect over the next two years. After this time, businesses and residents in three of Melbourne’s suburbs – Preston, Northcote and Thornbury – will be unable to sell or purchase balloons and other plastics such as disposable food containers and cups.
Members of the council unanimously agreed to ban the plastic items from being sold or used on council land, although exceptions will be made for certain public events where it is necessary to use disposables.
“It’s important that when we ask people to not leave plastics around in our public spaces, that we’re also doing everything we can to reduce the use of those single-use plastics ourselves,” said councillor Trent McCarthy, who believes the introduction of the new policy is a step in the right direction.
However, president of Australia’s Balloon Artists and Suppliers Association Ray Stewart has argued that latex balloons should not be included in the ban.
“To push balloons in with their plastic bans … it’s just dishonest, it doesn’t give the issue of latex balloons the attention it deserves,” he said.
“It’s worth looking into because of the impact that a full ban will have on so many members of our community, he continued, “such as mum-and-dad businesses who provide for their families through the sale of these balloons.”
