Reducing Balloon Litter Through Education and Outreach with the Joyful Send-off Campaign

The Coastal States Stewardship Foundation, on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, worked to reduce the intentional release of balloons at celebratory, memorial, and other events through the implementation of the Joyful Send-off community based social marketing campaign.

Type of Project: Prevention

Region: Mid-Atlantic

Project Dates: August 2018 - April 2023

Who was involved? 

The Coastal States Stewardship Foundation on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) worked to reduce the intentional release of balloons throughout the Mid-Atlantic region (including the coastal states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia). Additionally, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program continued their support of balloon debris monitoring along Virginia’s Eastern Shore barrier islands.

What was the project and why is it important? 

Balloons are unique among all the human-made litter and debris found in the ocean and on land, in that balloons and their attachments (e.g., plastic ribbons, plastic valves and plastic disks) are a form of litter that people purchase often with the intent to release them on purpose into the environment. In a report by Wilcox, et al. (2016), when marine debris experts were asked to estimate which common litter items posed the greatest entanglement and ingestion risk to seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals, balloons were ranked third after fishing gear and plastic bags/utensils.

The Joyful Send-off campaign strategy was informed by research funded by a previous NOAA Marine Debris Program project that assessed the knowledge, attitudes and behavior surrounding balloon releases in Virginia. By engaging with local aquariums as partners, this project made a significant impact across all five states. Project activities included beach monitoring and cleanups, focus groups, and community-based social marketing research throughout the region. 

What were the results? 

The project completed an assessment of balloon litter, conducted monitoring efforts in each of the states, supported clean-up efforts, coordinated surveys and focus groups researching community-based social marketing approaches, identified target audiences, and engaged with Mid-Atlantic residents to address intentional balloon releases across the region. The project leveraged results from public surveys to assess effective ways to mitigate intentional balloon releases from Virginia to New York. In collaboration with three aquariums (Virginia Aquarium, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and the New York Aquarium), the project team tested and modified outreach materials and messages for a broad audience. After refining their messaging, they created outreach kits which expanded the reach of this campaign to public events. Throughout the course of this project, semi-annual shoreline surveys were conducted in each state, resulting in a total of 4,404 balloon debris items removed.

For more information about this project, visit the Marine Debris Program Clearinghouse.