Certainly printed birthday balloons made of plastic and foil and usually filled with helium are as damaging as any other product made from these materials, but I only use Qualatex balloons made from 100% natural latex – not plastic or foil.
Latex is collected by cutting the tree’s bark, then catching the latex in a cup, not from cutting down the tree, so Qualatex balloons are not contributing to deforestation: in fact, they are giving latex farmers a good living from a naturally renewable source.
Qualatex balloons are 100% biodegradable and decompose as fast as an oak leaf in the forest! So although there may be a short-term litter problem, they are not causing a long-term environmental headache, And when I make balloon models, whether indoors or outdoors, I do my damnedest to pick up all my litter – latex and anything else I’ve dropped – and take it home and dispose of it responsibly. As I’m sure we all do, right?
So if you book me to make balloon models at your event, you needn’t worry about creating environmental issues – unless, of course, you count accidentally bursting balloons as noise pollution!