Releasing balloons into the environment is a hazard to all animals including birds and marine life.  Whilst balloon enthusiasts will have you believe they are bio-degradable and degrade at the same rate as a fig leaf, this is very misleading.  A fig leaf takes 4 years to degrade.  For latex to be made into a balloon, oils and other polymers are added making the product not 100% bio-degradable.  

The balloon filled with valuable helium that could be better used in our medical industry will rise to approximately 5 miles before bursting.  The pieces coming back to earth will vary in size and animals often mistake them for food sources, meaning they eat this product and most can't wait 4 years for it to degrade before it kills them.  And the majority of balloons released will have ribbon attached which is not degradable at all.  

Quite simply, if you wouldn't feed it to your dog, cat or children, then they shouldn't be released into the world for other animals to feast on.  To put it simply, it is littering, illegal in all parts of Australia.  

A ban will prevent this senseless custom that kills numerous animals every year.  

We need to provide the Northern Territory Environment Minister with as many signatures as possible so we can push through new legislation.