QUEENSLAND is preparing for a ban on single-use plastic bags from 2018 but wildlife groups say the ban should be widened to include the release of helium balloons.

The State Government sought public feedback on the planned ban of single-use plastic bags late last year, with plans to introduce the ban from 2018.

Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland welcomed the proposal, but want the ban extended to also include the ban of helium balloons being released.

Campaigner Toby Hutcheon said: “The fact is that what goes up must come down”.

“In the case of helium balloons, when they do come down they are burst and fragmented, often with strings attached.

“These burst balloons resemble food sources such as squid and many get eaten by turtles and seabirds, leading to starvation or entanglement and eventually death for these creatures.

“Celebrating important moments by releasing helium balloons that will harm and kill wildlife is just unacceptable.”

Tangalooma EcoMarines support the call for a ban on helium balloons.

“Every balloon that finds its ways in to our waterways threatens the health of the eco systems, the lives of the animals that depend on it, and ultimately our quality of life and our enjoyment of this special place in our backyard, Moreton Bay,” a spokeswoman for EcoMarines said.

“As part of the Tangalooma EcoMarines Primary School Program we promote for schools to make their community event eco-friendly and not use or sell helium balloons.”

A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) spokeswoman said “the use of helium balloons was dealt with in Queensland under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act

2011”.

“The deliberate release of balloons into the wider environment can constitute littering under that Act,” she said.

New South Wales has banned the mass release (more than 20) of helium balloons since 1999 and Sunshine Coast Regional Council banned the release of helium balloons in 2011.

Many other local governments in Queensland oppose the release of balloons into the environment.