Are These “biodegradable” Water Balls Biodegradable?
How to fill a balloon for water in 1987: Stand by the bathroom sink, gently pull on the edge of the balloon around the faucet (there is a 30% chance that the balloon will burst at this point), turn on the water and watch the balloon expand … , try turning off the water to the maximum balloon size (if you can let it grow to the size of a nutty gourd before it bursts, you are a hero of the summer), wrap the neck of the balloon around your fingers until they turn blue, tie and place in a bucket … Go to balloon # 2.
How to fill a balloon with water now: Buy one of these crazy gadgets. Watch hundreds of balloons fill and bond before your eyes. Never understand the pain of your parents.
You’ve probably seen the magic of these new instant water balloons – if not in real life, then at least on TV, YouTube, or in a Facebook post written by an astonished friend with young children. You simply screw a bundle of balloons onto the hose nozzle, turn on the water, and watch as many fully formed water balloons fall into the bucket. It’s fucking magic (and okay, physics). Toy company Zuru launches the original Bunch O Balloons brand.
Things are popular with children. I recently grabbed a box of Costco 420 balloons and my daughter and her friends got into a hot air balloon fight in our backyard. It was epic, but the consequences were the same. I looked around at the hundreds of colorful balloon debris that dotted the lawn. The next game of the day, of course, was “Let’s See Who Can Collect More Notes!” (It was not so pleasant.)
We all did our best to clean up the mess, but I’m sure we didn’t get all the smallest details (they were all over the place ). I began to wonder how bad it would be if some stayed there. The Bunch O Balloon FAQ states that balloons and o-rings (small rubber bands) are “biodegradable and environmentally friendly.” And then I came across this company post on Facebook (published four years ago) :
“You can have a battle with a huge water ball and not worry about collecting the remains.”
For parents who were afraid to spend the rest of the evening hovering over the lawn with a magnifying glass and a trash bag, this was fantastic news. However, as a reporter and person who studied environmental science in high school, I was skeptical. It sounded too good to be true.
I called Chris Reddy, a senior fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, a man who studies plastics and environmental pollution. When I mention the company’s statement that we do not need to understand the details, he tells me: “I strongly disagree with this statement.”
He explains that a company doesn’t necessarily lie when it claims its product is biodegradable – it might break over time , but it’s “not a flip of a switch.” “It seems to me that if you left this balloon in a plain old grassy field, hammered in a nail to keep it from deflating, and you come back in a year, it will still be there,” he says. Meanwhile, this piece of balloon is pollution – it can threaten wildlife and cause suffocation for babies and young children. And Reddy thinks it’s harmful to tell kids they’re allowed to litter if it’s biodegradable. “You start to say,” It’s okay. “
Several years ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established an environmental policy that products can no longer be labeled “biodegradable” unless the product can be proven to degrade naturally within five years of disposal. But Reddy explains that companies often “play the system.” According to him, germs will only eat a balloon if it’s worth it. So if you put hungry germs in a balloon flask and no other food, they will probably use a balloon. But in the real world, since there are many (probably more mouth-watering) options, this balloon can last for years.
Balloons Blow , an organization that aims to “educate people about the devastating effects of balloons on animals, humans and the environment,” explicitly calls Zuru’s Bunch O Balloons “one-off crap.” Co-founder Daniel Fosburg tells me that “it is utterly irresponsible to argue that clutter does not need to be picked up.” (We reached out to Zuru for comments and will update this post if the company responds.)
Vosburg, who has studied plastic pollution of the marine environment for decades, says: “Balloons are the deadliest toy for children. If a child accidentally inhales a small or whole balloon, it is almost impossible to remove it, which almost always leads to death. ” She shared with me a heartbreaking letter she received from a parent last night:
“10 days ago (May 31, 2018), my 9 month old baby died from choking on a balloon. It was a water balloon that did not explode or burst. He completely blocked his airways, leading to unsuccessful CPR. When EMT contacted us, it was already too late. The day before, my three older boys were playing with balloons in the street. They must have tracked me down, and while my child was crawling, he put it in his mouth. Parents think they can do something if they see a child putting a balloon in their mouth. In fact, as soon as they inhale, the balloon may disappear and there is nothing you can do about it. I was right there with my son and I still couldn’t catch him in time before he aspirated the balloon. This tragedy prompted me to do my best to try to find a way to warn everyone about the danger of balloons. In every sense, balloons are a terrible invention. “
Vosburg encourages people to use sustainable alternatives to water balloons – you can DIY a crocheted balloon (or buy one on Etsy) or makewater bombs from a sponge .
These options may not be as exciting as watching hundreds of balloons blow up like magic, but you will avoid the myriad dangers of balloons and the inevitable clutter.