CARDIFF Council has put forward a report banning the release of balloons and lanterns.

The Environmental Scrutiny Committee recently wrote a report called “Litter in Cardiff”, which looked at a range of litter issues throughout the city. The report included a proposal for a balloon and lantern release policy.

The members on the Scrutiny Committee recommended the council should prevent the release of balloons and lanterns from council-owned land. A number of high-street shops, including Poundland and The Works, have sold the popular novelty item.

Coun Bob Derbyshire first raised the motion last year, where it was decided it would be put to scrutiny. A number of charities have come forward supporting the ban, including the Marine Conservation Society and Keep Wales Tidy.

The Marine Conservation Society have started a petition to try to get the Welsh Government to ban the lanterns, to eradicate the threat of choking and entanglement among marine wildlife and farm animals.

Keep Wales Tidy claim balloon and lantern waste causes a hazard to people and animals. A spokesperson for the charity said: “We are asking schools to sign a pledge to say they won’t release the balloons and lanterns.

“We have made suggestions for alternatives to them on our website.”

Coun Bill Kelloway, Penylan, spoke in favour of the ban. He said: “I have been made aware of cases where there have been damage to crops, it is a hazard.

“I have attended festivals where the fire marshalls have banned them because the way they work, although they look pretty, they are not foolproof. If they fall to the ground while they are still alight into a field of tents the consequences could be tragic.

“In the same way if a lantern that is still alight falls into a field of crops, you can lose them all.

“Although I have not personally seen any fires I have heard that they can cause problems. It can cause problems with livestock too, who try to eat the wire frames and it gets stuck in their gullets.

“I noticed them on New Year’s Eve, and I didn’t hear of any adverse consequences. I know it is a bit of a killjoy thing to do, but on balance it seems the safest thing to do to ban them on council land.”

Not everybody shares the view that these lanterns are dangerous. James Cameron, of the online retailer http://www.chineselanterns.co.uk, said: “I think that there has been an over-the-top reaction to Chinese Lanterns, and more speculation on their dangers rather than hard, documented facts.

“When these products first became a craze in the UK they did contain metal. Now most reputable suppliers have changed the design to fully natural materials that biodegrade quickly.

“In terms of how much a danger they pose and by comparison I would

certainly say that fireworks are a much greater hazard both in scaring livestock, debris/litter and the poisonous gasses that they give off.”

Amara’s gift shop in Cardiff also used to sell the lanterns but stopped after customers expressed their concerns. They said: “We stopped selling lanterns about two years ago due to a high volume of concerns from customers who were worried about safety issues surrounding farm animals although some were around general fire safety within the countryside.”

The Environmental Scrutiny Committee will present the report to Cabinet who will either accept or reject the recommendations.

Read the full article at the Cardiffian.