Zero Waste Alternatives To Balloons (10 Eco-friendly Ideas)

What comes to mind when you see a balloon? A party, right?

Balloons are obvious decorative choices for many children’s parties. You can place them on the garden gates to show where there is a party.

The balloons that fly at most memorial ceremonies tend to evoke a sense of respect for the souls of the departed.

Watching them gracefully ascend into the blue sky feels fun and beautiful without a doubt.

While we enjoy using balloons, they are not ideal for the well-being of the environment or wildlife.

Fortunately, there are zero-waste alternatives to balloons that you can try.

What Are Balloons Made Of?

There are balloons with different materials. Most of them are made up primarily of latex or mylar.

latex It is often a natural material used to make classic latex balloons.

Mylar. This is a plastic material with a thin layer of foil coating to make a balloon shine. These materials have a lot of helium.

Balloon Facts

Using balloons to decorate spaces for a party contributes to the creation of garbage.

Even when we use them indoors, they will soon deflate and end up in landfills.

When they reach a landfill, it’s bad news.

Otherwise, they can reach a river or sea causing pollution and interfering with marine life.

In addition, balloons can pollute the environment, affecting humans, plants, animals, and other living organisms that it supports.

But why? Well, latex or mylar balloons are not biodegradable, which means they can last for many years before breaking down.

10 Alternative Zero Waste Balloons

Looking to have a colorful and fun atmosphere for your party? Or do you want to be ecological?

Here are our top 10 zero-waste alternatives to balloons that you can buy from different online stores.

But you will find that most of them are quite easy to do even with your children.

1. Bunting Flags

Main Features

You can make banners out of fabric or paper as one of the zero-waste alternatives to balloons.

This will often depend on the nature of the use.

Whatever the case, they will always add exciting colors to your special occasions.

They are reusable.

This means that they will relieve you of the additional costs or efforts of making new ones for another party.

In addition, you will love these balloons for their incredible versatility.

In short, they adapt to all your parties in incredible ways.

Bunting allows you to be super creative.

Therefore, you can sew or write messages on them as you like to meet your needs.

Another nice thing about these alternatives is that they are easy to hang and store.

2. Banners

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Banners are among the best options to use as decorations for graduation ceremonies, birthdays, parties, and many other events.

You can use them to add color and style to your walls or even create beautiful backgrounds instead of using balloons.

They are also incredibly versatile, meaning you can customize and adapt them to any event.

In addition to that, you can use your banners for other parties. This saves a lot of cost and effort.

Posters come in various sizes, shapes, designs, and colors. For this reason, you can easily find one that meets your needs.

3. Garlands Or Paper Chains

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Do you want to bring back all the amazing childhood memories while preparing for a party or special event?

Well, garlands or paper chains should be your zero-waste alternative to balloons.

You will find them quite easy to do from the comfort of your own home.

You can even use scrap paper or newspaper and create something more elegant and eco-friendly than balloons.

Since they are customizable, paper chains allow you to add and match a suitable color scheme to suit your room.

If you want them to last longer and use them for later parties, use a cardboard box to secure them.

I understand that you may not have enough time to make paper chains.

Instead, you can buy some beautiful hanging paper chains for your party on Etsy.

4. Streamers

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Streamers are another zero-waste alternative to balloons.

You will find them incredibly interactive than any other type of decoration.

They offer you the best way to add bright colors to your party and create a sense of excitement and joy.

You can use them as decorations for your ceremonies and parties.

Or, you can attach a streamer to a stick for children to run around with delight.

In other words, it serves best as an exercise tool for your children at home.

Thanks to its versatile design.

These decorations are also very easy to make with readily available materials. More importantly, the streamers are compostable.

This means that they are biodegradable and will not pollute the environment like balloons.

Do you want to buy streamers to decorate your party or ceremony? Well, check out Etsy or Amazon for exciting and beautiful streamers.

5. Paper Flowers

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The flowers are usually attractive.

As for the paper flowers, you will create an enchanting atmosphere for your party.

Everyone will feel excited and admire the setting and decoration of your party.

You can use them as a table decoration or hang them on the walls or ceiling.

Making paper flowers may not be an easy task.

And depending on the design and number you want to make, these zero-waste balloon alternatives may take a little longer.

Buy your paper flowers for your next party on Etsy.

6. Bubbles

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Nothing feels more exciting and fun than blowing up balloons.

It is something that many children love to do while playing with bubble solutions.

They are increasingly becoming a common zero-waste alternative to helium balloons for good reason.

That is, bubbles tend to leave residue in very small amounts.

When the bubble bursts, there is nothing left in the environment. Therefore, you can use bubbles with maximum freedom to make your party and special events colorful.

Do you want to make bubbles? Well, get yourself a suitable organic bubble solution, water, and glycerin or honey if possible.

Then mix the components the morning or night before the party and get blown away.

If you find it difficult and time-consuming to blow bubbles, you can buy ready-made bubbles on Etsy.

7. Pompoms

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Pom poms are a beautiful decorative waste-free alternative to balloons that you can try.

They add a surprising splash of amazing colors to your room and events.

They are exceptionally quick and easy to design with readily available materials like tissue paper or fabric pom-poms.

And you can mount or place them on the front of your door instead of balloons so visitors can find your party relatively easily.

In addition to making pom poms yourself, you can purchase these ready-made, eco-friendly alternatives to balloons on Etsy.

8. Pinwheels

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Pinwheels are noticeably more fun and impressive than a balloon.

They feature a fan accordion effect that draws attention from afar.

Therefore, they can help show your visitors where the party is while providing an exciting party atmosphere.

These options are also quick and easy to make.

You can watch online tutorials or read guides on websites and learn how to make beautiful pinwheels with ease.

All you need are some paper-based materials, like colored paper and paper straws.

Since pinwheels are primarily paper, you will find them degradable.

Therefore, they exist as one of the best zero-waste alternatives to balloons.

While you can make pinwheels with the utmost ease, you can buy them at party supply stores or online stores like Etsy.

9. Kites

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Kites offer you a fun and exciting way to add some decorations to your outdoors without causing pollution.

They can add beauty to your party sites.

Let your visitors compete in a friendly competition to see who can fly their kite the highest.

Here, expect to see some chaos as party guests get tangled up in your kite strings.

They also help show your party guests where the party is. Besides, making them is no big deal. You can get some kids to help you with the work.

You can make a kite from recycled paper. Alternatively, you can shop on Etsy to save time and effort.

10. Paper Lanterns

Main Features

Paper lanterns are another zero-waste alternative to balloons.

You will find the brighter and more colorful, adding elegance to your celebration.

There are all kinds of sizes and colors, so everyone can find the one that best suits their needs. And you can reuse your paper lanterns many times.

Paper lanterns are available online at Etsy.

Why should balloon launches be banned?

Ideally, balloon releases should be prohibited. While they are great options for party decorations, they are pretty bad. Here’s why we should ban balloon releases.

Balloon launches are a way of throwing garbage into the environment. Although the balloons fly high in the sky, at some point they will find their way back to the surface of the earth. When there is an abundance, the released balloons pollute the environment.

Balloons tend to look attractive and are preyed upon by wildlife, including sea turtles. When the balloons are eaten, their internal food pathways are easily blocked, leading to starvation and death.

The rope used can also wrap around birds, dolphins, and other marine animals, restricting their movement. In addition, the thread can cut their skin and cause serious infections.

The balloons have helium storage to allow them to float in the air. However, there is still a limited supply of helium, a crucial gas used in medical care, space exploration, and many other areas. Therefore, it is essential to stop using balloons at all costs.

Frequent questions

Are there Ecological Globes?

Yes, there are biodegradable balloons. However, most of them still use natural latex. This makes them take many years to decompose.

How Long Do Biodegradable Balloons Take To Decompose?

Normally biodegradable balloons can take 6 months to 4 years to decompose. By then, they can cause serious damage or even death to wildlife.

What Impact Do Balloons Have On The Environment?

Balloon releases leave the environment with ugly litter. They can cause soil contamination, degrade the land, and affect the environmental quality of life. Or water pollution impacts the environment along with its living marine organisms.

Is There An Alternative To The Helium Balloon?

Yes. Hydrogen gas is an ideal alternative to helium. It is preferred by many in cases where the flammable nature of hydrogen is not a major concern. It’s lightweight and can balloon if that’s the only option.

Can you drop balloons?

Balloon releases are a great way to party or celebrate. However, the impacts from the balloon releases make me drop the balloons. They create litter in the environment and can harm and kill wildlife. In addition, they contribute to the wasteful use of helium.

Conclusion

There are plenty of zero-waste alternatives to balloons to consider, even if they aren’t more decorative.

But you will also find some of them very funny and they will help create an exciting atmosphere at your party.

By preventing balloon launches, we can help protect the environment and wildlife.

That is a great victory for us and the planet in general.

You can easily buy or make the above decorative options using readily available materials. Recycle and reuse them to be green.