Effective today, anyone 13 or older is banned from intentionally releasing a balloon in the state of Maryland. The law also bans “organizing or participating in a mass balloon release” of 10 or more balloons.
“In Maryland it’s now illegal to be a plastic balloon litterbug and that’s good news for our land, water, and wildlife,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles said in a statement.
The legislation was created to prevent plastic pollution and protect marine life and land animals.
Similar bills have been put in place in other states, including Virginia and Delaware.
According to a report by Clean Virginia Waterways, latex and foil balloons, and other attachments on helium balloons, are among the deadliest types of ocean trash.
The report states that balloon debris was the number one type of debris collected on Virginia’s remote beaches, with up to 272 pieces of balloon litter per mile.
Violators of the Maryland law may have to pay a fine of up to $100 per violation, participate in community service, or watch a video about environmental pollution.
The law will be enforced by the Maryland Department of the Environment, who may delegate enforcement to local agencies.
The law does not apply to: balloons released for scientific or meteorological reasons (such as weather balloons used by the National Weather Service), balloons that are attached to a radio tracking device and are being operated by someone with an “amateur operator license” issued by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, and balloons that were let go accidentally.
