Balloons are being released for memorial purposes, weddings and commercial launches on cruise ships.
Campaigners claim that the balloons take years to biodegrade and that dolphins, whales, turtles, seabirds and other animals have been killed by balloons.
Animals swallow the balloons or become entangled in the strings.
Turtles mistake balloons for jellyfishes
The biodegradation process is delayed because of the cold and oxygen-poor conditions of the sea.
Campaigners propose to classify balloon releases as littering.
REFS
Published on news.sky.com and written by Lucia Binding