Balloon and plastic party decoration ban

Discarded balloons

About the ban Problem items Protecting wildlife Alternatives

To protect Tweed’s wildlife and waterways, Council has banned balloons and plastic party decorations in public places in the Tweed Shire.

About the ban

In 2022, Council introduced a ban on balloons in outdoor locations in the Tweed. In July 2024, Council resolved to extend the ban to include the use or supply of all types of balloons and single use plastic party decorations.

What items are banned?

  • All types of balloons (biodegradable, helium, latex and water balloons).
  • Single use decorations such as glitter, confetti, streamers and tinsel, party poppers, glow sticks.
  • All other single-use plastic party decorations and problematic decoration items.

Where does the ban apply?

  • Council licensed events on public land
  • Council-owned facilities
  • All Council buildings, parks and outdoor areas

Council is working with its venues, facilities, licensing and events teams to update terms and support community members in complying with the bans.

Why these items are problematic

Microplastics

Balloons and plastic decorations are lightweight. Once they’re dropped or discarded, they can easily blow into our waterways.

CSIRO research shows that balloons are one of the highest risk items for seabirds. Birds also eat everything from glow sticks, industrial plastic pellets, hard bits of plastic, foam, metal hooks and fishing line.

Often, items listed as biodegradable aren’t – in fact they simply break down into smaller microplastics which harm the environment. Microplastics have been shown to build up in the food chain – so in addition to marine life and wildlife, also present risks for human health.

Protecting wildlife and waterways

The Tweed is home to a number of endangered and protected species of birds and wildlife. Find out more about the Tweed’s biodiversity and wildlife, what Council is doing to protect these species and what you can do to help.

Some facts about plastic pollution in our waterways

Plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans
  • One million marine animals are killed by plastic pollution every year.
  • There will be more plastic than fish in our waterways by 2050.
  • We are producing over 380 million tonnes of plastic every year, and some reports indicate that up to 50% of that is for single-use purposes.

Source: Plastic Oceans

Alternatives to balloons and plastic decorations

Single use materials harm the environment in several ways:

  • they contribute to landfill
  • they increase greenhouse gas emissions
  • they increase costs and ongoing use of resources.

The following table will give you some ideas and alternatives for getting started with replacing single use materials. Contact us with your own ideas.

Council is also developing a party hire kit … watch this space!

Party decoration items

Item Avoid Better Best
Balloons
  • Avoid balloons
  • Balloon releases are banned in the Tweed
  • Paper chains
  • Bubbles
  • Crochet water balloons
  • Kites
  • Seedling giveaway
  • Paper pin wheels
Decorations
  • Plastic bunting
  • Plastic streamers
  • Plastic or glitter confetti
 Paper decoration alternatives that can be recycled Natural decorations such as ‘leaf confetti’, fabric bunting
Event accessories
  • Zip ties
  • Gaffa tape
 String that can be reused Reusable fastenings
Glow sticks Single use glow sticks Reusable candles or battery powered glow sticks (batteries must be disposed via CRC or supermarket collection points)
  • Paper lanterns
  • Mobile phone light activities
Promotional items
  • Avoid plastic items
  • Avoid low value items that won’t be kept
 Functional, reusable items made from sustainable materials Only use promotional items where they add value to your event

Other single use items

Item Avoid Better Best
Plates, bowls, platters Plastic, disposable serving ware – banned in NSW Home compostable serving ware (if you don’t compost at home, they go in the red bin) Reusable serving ware with wash station or commercial dishwashing facilities/hire
Straws Plastic straws Paper or cardboard straws Don’t offer straws unless requested
Bags Plastic bags, including produce and shopping bags Reusable bags Fabric or woven bags, boxes or reusable containers
Cutlery Plastic cutlery – banned in NSW Bamboo cutlery (dispose in red bin) Reusable, washable cutlery
Water Plastic water bottles   BYO water bottles and refill station
Coffee cups All disposable coffee cups and lids (dispose in red bin)
  • Mug library
  • Cup swap system (for example, Huskee, Simply Cups)
 BYO reusable coffee cups
Plastic wrap Avoid plastic wrap Paper wrap
  • Beeswax wraps
  • Reusable containers

Other suppliers

Get someone else to provide reusable party resources and reusable foodware. Try one of these suppliers:

Back to top