Potentially deadly balloons litter local beaches. Here’s what Beaufort is doing about it
The city of Beaufort has taken the first step to ban the release of balloons to prevent the floating decorations from killing domestic animals and wildlife.
Beaufort County has the highest percentage of balloon litter in South Carolina, said Jenn Clementoni, the executive director of the local Carolina Bight Birding Center. Clementoni urged Councilman Josh Scallate to bring an ordinance forward to the City Council prohibiting the release of balloons within city limits.
Council members voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve the ordinance on first reading. Balloons are already banned on city property.
Balloons are sometimes released to remember loved ones who have died, but “they don’t go to heaven,” Clementoni said. They return to the ground and end up as litter that sometimes kills bald eagles and other birds, as well as loggerhead sea turtles, whales, sharks and domestic animals like horses. The balloons can be deadly when ingested if they block the intestinal tract.
It’s especially important to ban the practice in Beaufort County, she said, because of its unique watersheds that are considered fingers of the ocean.
Balloon litter also is a big problem locally, Clementoni says.
In 2021, she said, balloon litter made up 9% of litter recorded in Beaufort County. Of the total balloons, 97% were picked up on or near beaches, with 80% found on Fripp and Pritchard Islands, 14% on Hilton Head and 3% on Harbor and Hunting islands.
Since 2016, the 1,064 balloons picked up were about 3% of all documented debris, the highest in the state.
Recently, volunteers who work with sea turtles nesting on area beaches found 170 balloons in beaches north of the Broad River, Clementoni said.
Many people look forward to graduation season, but for Clementoni, it’s a time when she finds a lot of litter, including balloons, on area beaches.
If the city gives final approval next month, it will be the first community in Beaufort County to ban balloon releases.
Clementoni hopes the balloon release ban in Beaufort will set an example for other municipalities, and even encourage a statewide ban. Gov. Ron DeSantis, she noted, signed a statewide ban in Florida in 2024. South Carolina’s Clemson University has ended its tradition of releasing 10,000 balloons before games, she added.
Exceptions would be allowed for scientific or meteorological purposes and hot air balloons and balloons released indoors. Violations would be considered a misdemeanor.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 12:38 PM.
