Here in the high desert, the wind often brings us flotsam and jetsam from other regions, mainly from the west. Mylar balloons, in particular, appear in even the most remote desert locations, marring the landscape, damaging wildlife, causing power outages and threatening fires. Reporter Heather Clisby has more information about this aerial form of littering…
What goes up, must come down.
Deep in the desert mountains, local hikers often spot that unmistakable flash of metal, usually tangled in creosote or cholla. The Mylar balloon – released by a human far away – appears in otherwise pristine natural environments. In addition to littering the landscape, the balloons are mistaken for food by wildlife causing them to get sick or die.
And should the metallic balloons come in contact with power lines, it can result in fires, electrical outages and even a dangerously downed power line. Southern California Edison reported 1,022 balloon-related outages last year and 1,124 in 2018. In June 2017, Edison recorded a record number of these outages in a single month: 191, an average of six per day.
SCE Spokesman Paul Netter stated that the outages ramp up in February for Valentine’s Day, worsen around Mother’s Day, and spike at graduation time. Netter explained that such outages are dangerous because they can disrupt traffic lights, elevators, ATMs, medical equipment, charging devices and – should the water company lose power — water pressure for firefighters.
Since 2015, over one million people have been affected by a Mylar balloon-related power outage. At least two countries, five states and more than a dozen cities nationwide, have banned deliberate balloon release, including San Francisco, Baltimore, Connecticut, Florida and Virginia. Since 1990, it has been illegal in California to sell a metallic balloon without an attached counterweight but the problem persists. (A state bill was proposed in 2008 to ban them outright but was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.)
More recently, California’s Assembly Bill 2450, which went in to effect last January, specifies that a clear warning of the release risk must be printed on the balloons in a conspicuous location and in a readable font size. Unfortunately, this can only be enforced on in-state balloon manufacturers, of which there are only a few, though some out-of-state manufacturers have voluntarily complied.
The warning reads:
CAUTION: NOT INTENDED FOR RELEASE. USE WITH COUNTERWEIGHT; DISPOSE OF PROPERLY. NEVER USE METALLIC RIBBON WITH BALLOONS.
Safe balloon practices include keeping them attached to the weights, not attaching metallic streamers and snipping off the tied end before disposal.
