Wildlife ‘win’ with helium balloon ban
ENVIRONMENTAL groups across the Mornington Peninsula are applauding the state government’s ban on releasing helium balloons into the environment.
Environment Protection Authority laws introduced last week make it illegal to deliberately release balloons in Victoria, with a fine of almost $1000 for those caught doing so.
The laws have been put in place to help protect wildlife and prevent environmental damage.
Zoos Victoria conservation campaigner Darcie Carruthers said the balloons “popped eventually and often landed in waterways where they’re eaten by fish or other wildlife”.
He said released helium balloons come back to earth as litter and threaten wildlife. “Turtles, shearwaters, albatross, platypus as well as farm animals are known to die from mistaking balloons as food, becoming entangled in the ribbons which prevents movement, flight and feeding, or choking on the plastic clips.”
Litter problem shown up by clean-up
On the clean team: Jade Donnelly with Imogen, Isla and Macie at Mount Martha beach.
Picture: Supplied
A GRAPHIC illustration of the amount of litter on beaches was highlighted when a Beach Patrol event at Mount Martha collected 151 kilograms in one hour.
“After many months of no organised clean ups due to COVID-19, it was fantastic to have about 100 volunteers come out for a morning of beach litter blitz, craft, a talk by Dolphin Research Institute and lots of great prizes from local businesses,” Waste Wise Mornington Peninsula’s Birte Molier said.
A feature of the event was a mini-container deposit scheme which prompted Boomerang Alliance to ask people to write to their MPs to push the case for a scheme that works because “we can’t do litter cleans forever.”