LYNCHBRUG, Va. – One new Virginia law deals with releasing balloons.
Balloons that are intentionally released into the air, like at celebrations or memorials for example, can be considered hazardous to the environment.
As of July 1, you could be fined up to $25 per balloon.
Katie Register, the director of Clean Virginia Waterways at Longwood University, said balloons and plastic ribbons wind up hurting animals, “Birds want to nest, turtles want to nest; so they really are an environmental issue and when people intentionally release dozens or hundreds of balloons. They 100% return to earth.”
Virginia already has a law banning the intentional releasing of 50 or more balloons per hour.