Hi Lemmy,

I’m organising a funeral, and one of the ideas that has come up is for people to write memories on a balloon and let them go. However, I’ve also heard that they often end up in trees etc and are terrible for the environment.

Is there such a thing as environmentally safe balloons? Other suggestions are also welcome.

  • ???@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Sorry for your loss.

    You can use bio-degradable balloons but there is no guarantee they will not end up strangling birds or rendering squirrels immobile. Maybe something that could start degrading some hours after you release it? It might end up safely popped midair without ruining the lives of wildlife.

    But let me just add: I think you should not do this at all. It’s too risky to do with traditional balloons, and it might be hard to find these “real/verified” biodegradable balloons, plus no guarantee they actually do what the backside says.

    • 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘬@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      and it might be hard to find these “real/verified” biodegradable balloons

      Also, “biodegradable” often means “in recycling facilities in a controlled environment using special machines and processing” when it comes to “biodegradable plastics” and not “just throw them anywhere and nature will handle it”.

    • Thavron@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      there is no guarantee they will not end up strangling birds or rendering squirrels immobile

      At least they’ll decompose along with the body 🙄