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Comment by vosper | Hacker News Reader

Releasing these balloons is littering. It's exactly the same as throwing the empty balloon into someones garden or into a river. Get people to perceive it as littering and most will stop releasing balloons, or will no longer perceive it as cool or pretty. Make it seem gross. Shame any events that do this on instagram - that's probably a good start.

Then maybe we can get started on cigarette butts, the one thing that is bizarrely socially acceptable to litter anywhere - even in places with a strong social stigma for other littering.

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Where are you that cigarette butt litter is acceptable?

Here in Melbourne it was common ~10 years ago, but you barely see it now.... probably related to the >$600 on the spot fine if someone sees you do it.

I am surprised how incredibly lazy some people are. I have been standing at train stations waiting for the train to arrive and there is a trash can ten feet away and the smoker will just drop the cigarette right where they are standing.

I thought it was obvious to everyone that this is littering, but I forgot how stupid people are.

That's pretty harsh and really incorrect. Some people didn't have great role models growing up to teach them these things and have to learn them themselves later on.

The average person is probably less intelligent than the people surrounding you at home and work. Don't underestimate idiocy - though it's probably a combination of both.

I was walking out of Costco earlier this week and noticed a gentleman had a pack of 100+ balloons in his cart. These balloons were pre-fitted with plastic straws, for easy balloon blowing, of course. This will all be garbage in a matter of days after a few fleeting seconds of joy. I just about lose my mind when I see 1) such a product exists and 2) someone actually buys such a product. It was probably for a child’s birthday party, but there has to be another way to share cheer.

Edit: spelling.

That kind of balloon wouldn't fly away, it'd just be blown up manually with air instead of helium.

I'd guess they are water balloons from the description. My wife has purchased those from Costco. They are e easy to fill up all at once. They do make an unholy mess that takes the kids a while to pick up.

Under the sunny conditions that facilitate their use, they bake onto surfaces. It's horrendous when you find a bit that wasn't seen, but just another childhood/childrearing experience.

I think these were probably water balloons. The idea is that all of those straws are connected to a single garden hose fill adaptor, so the whole bunch of balloons can be filled at once. (example: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33011481532.html)

I abhor the single-use plastic, but at the same time water balloons are just fun in the summer. If paintballs can be made biodegradable (they're gelatin), maybe there's hope for water balloons, too.

Well of course the average person is less intelligent than the rest of us.

After all, 90% of drivers have above average skill!

One doesn't need to be too old to be responsible of his own actions

There's a very big difference between ignorance and stupidity

"If I could find a souvenir, Just to prove the world was here And here it is, a red balloon, I think of you and let it go"

I'm really hoping for a ban on tables next. https://imgur.com/a/JarB9mN

A ban on throwing tables into a lake or ocean? That's probably be good ... pretty sure that's already banned in a lot of places. Illegal dumping and all.

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