A South Australian council has propsed to ban helium balloons in outdoor areas in order to protect marine life from latex pollution.
If the Victor Harbour Council votes to introduce the by-law, it would become the first council in South Australia to ban the use of helium-filled balloons on public lands.
Councillor Moira Jenkins proposed the ban at a recent meeting, saying the council had to show ‘leadership’ following a series of complaints about pollution during the Christmas period.
“During the (Christmas) pageant there were balloons on floats and some got loose, flying into the air, and a number of residents raised concerns with me about that,” she said. “We’re a coastal community and there is a very high risk of those balloons going into the ocean.”
The region’s South Coast Environment Center supported the proposal, saying there were plenty of alternatives.
A similar ban has already been put in place by councils in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
