Friends of Animals applauds State Senators for passing legislation yesterday that will end the intentional release of balloons in CT. We’d also like to give a special thanks to Senator Rick Lopes for championing the legislation. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.

CT residents, please contact your state representative and tell them to vote yes to SB452. You can find their contact info here: www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp.

Most people would never throw litter out the car window because it’s illegal. Yet many participate in balloon releases. It’s time to end this recklessness. Every balloon is a potential killer of wildlife.

Friends of Animals was given the task this session of providing evidence that similar bans in other states have been effective. And what we found was uplifting!

Clean Virginia Waterways published a report on 11 years of monitoring for balloon litter and found numbers have dropped since Virginia’s law passed in 2021. An average of 240 pieces of balloon litter were found per mile on Fisherman’s Island prior to the law. After the law was implemented, the per-mile average dropped to 174.

A trend in the right direction with fewer balloons being found as litter also rings true in Delaware. Its balloon release ban went into effect in 2022. In 2018, 724 ballons were found during its annual coastal cleanup; in 2019, 583; in 2024, 235; and 2025, 216. (There is no data from 2020 or 2022, and the 2023 cleanup was cancelled due to a storm.)