Newcastle City Council and Urban Green Newcastle have banned balloon and sky lantern releases on their land.

Despite these bans, hundreds of balloons are still being released in Newcastle by people marking the passing of friends, family and loved ones.

Often, people taking part in these events are not aware of the risks that balloon releases pose to wildlife and humans.     

Discarded balloons contribute to existing litter and take years to break down, releasing harmful chemicals and microplastics into the environment. They can also be ingested by animals.

While balloon releases may be seen as a mark of respect by some, they are nothing more than mass littering events. 

As far as we are aware, no fines have been issued to those who take part in this environmentally harmful practice in Newcastle.

We are therefore calling on Urban Green Newcastle and Newcastle City Council to:

• Launch an awareness campaign and work with local schools, communities, businesses and charities to make children and adults aware of the environmental harm posed by balloon and sky lantern releases
   
• Create memorial woods within every ward of the city, where people can plant or dedicate trees to loved ones instead of releasing balloons 
   
• Actively investigate and issue fines where groups and individuals are found to be planning and taking part in balloon and sky lantern releases on Newcastle City Council owned land and land managed by Urban Green Newcastle

Please sign and share to stop balloon releases in Newcastle for good.