East Hampton Village Takes Steps To Ban The Release Of Balloons

East Hampton Village is taking steps to ban the intentional release of balloons.

The Village Board announced at a Friday meeting that a public hearing will be held on April 18 at 11 a.m. in the Emergency Services Building at 1 Cedar Street in East Hampton.

The East Hampton Town Board voted, 5-0, at its February 7 meeting to approve a law banning the intentional release of balloons in order to cut down on litter and protect wild animals that can mistake balloons for food—a law the village hopes to mimic.

The village’s draft law states that no person shall intentionally release or dispose of any balloon, except in public or private trash receptacles. Violators could face a fine of up to $1,000.

“Months ago, we talked about banning Styrofoam, and I said I’d like to address balloons sometime in the future,” Village Board member Barbara Borsack said at a February 7 work session. She said she’d like to see the village mirror the town’s law.

Ms. Borsack explained that the law isn’t meant to restrict people from having balloons in general, but to stop organized releases of large amounts of balloons.

“We all see that they end up on our beaches and in the water. We know how dangerous it is to marine life … as a seaside community we need to be aware of that,” she explained.

Before the discussion ended, board member Arthur Graham added that people should deflate balloons before disposing of them because there is always a chance that they can fly away and end up as litter.

“We don’t want to send little kids to jail if they lose a balloon,” Mr. Graham joked. “That’s not our intent here.”