Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands, will be banning all balloon releases from Wednesday 1 January 2020.
The decision was made on Thursday 12 December during a session of the city council. Amsterdam was the first city in the Netherlands to introduce a ban on balloon releases, back in 2015. It has since been followed by several others.
Rotterdam’s ban was supposed to be implemented earlier this year but finally took place last Thursday with the majority of the council voting for the introduction of the ban.
Alderman Bonte, councillor at Rotterdam City Council, quoted by Rotterdam.nl, said “Balloon remains end up in nature and in the sea or in the stomachs of birds and fish. We prevent a great deal of animal suffering with the ban on their release.”
The ban applies to balloons in all shapes and to all materials that are released into the air by means of helium or other gas or fire source. Balloons that are wieghted or tied down will only be allowed if they are taken care of and cleaned up once they serve their purpose.
When applying for a license, all event organisers will receive instructions on how to proceed when using balloons for their happenings.
