Southampton considers ban on mylar balloons

<p>The village of Southampton is considering banning the sale of mylar balloons.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 27, 2017, 7:30 PM

Updated 2,636 days ago

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The village of Southampton is considering banning the sale of mylar balloons.
Mayor Michael Irving says the metallic balloons are harmful to the environment and don't degrade as easily as the average rubber balloon.
"Mylar balloons in the last few years have become a major issue in the waters…in the ocean," the mayor says. "You can walk along the beach and find dozens of them."
Irving adds that rubber balloons will still be OK to sell, saying, "Most of your rubber balloons do have a limited shelf life. You do find them floating...but they have a tendency to degrade quickly."
One mylar balloon also caused havoc during the town's Fourth of July celebrations when a loose balloon got caught up in a power transformer, causing a power outage for about an hour and a half.
Some residents, like Lauren Loebs, believe banning the balloons isn't the right move.
"How do you deprive a little kid, not having a balloon," she says. "Maybe they should have some sort of restriction...when they're outside or something."
The ban is being pushed by the Southampton Advocates for the Village Environment, the same group that successfully recommended the village ban the use of plastic bags in 2011.