What goes up must come down, and balloons are a really good example of items that can travel long distances from their original location and many find their way into the oceans where they have been found to be a threat to marine life and seabirds through entanglement and ingestion.
Report helium balloon releases
Releasing balloons into the environment is littering and illegal in Victoria.
From 1 July 2021, EPA will have increased powers to prevent harm to the environment from pollution and waste.
There are penalties for releasing balloons into the environment.
Under section 115 of the Environment Protection Act 2017, fines are:
- up to six penalty units ($991) for a person
- up to 30 penalty units ($4956) for a company.
For a series of balloon releases, and if taken to court, penalties are:
- up to 100 penalty units ($16,522) for a person
- up to 500 penalty units ($82,610) for a company.
If your activities, such as using helium balloons, pose a risk to the environment, you must take steps to minimise the risks.
