Recycle your Mylar Party Balloons

When I say Reuse I mean many things. Use some creativity and turn those deflated Balloons into something special and useful.

When the party is over and you are ready to clean up - carefully cut the bottom of the balloon to deflate them and remove the helium. You can even use a pin to release it as well.

You can get creative right away or store them by folding them neatly and putting them in a storage bin to use later.

This is one thing I have done. I have taken some used Mylar Balloons and reused them as gift bags or wrap for gifts. Take your balloon and make a small slice in the top and insert your gift - you can tie it with some pretty ribbons - cut the top and make fringe and so on. You can have all different looks depending on what the Mylar Balloon design is and it saves you from having to buy a gift bag.

This photo was not from me, but another crafty Mylar Balloon Reuser who also blogged about some creative ways to reuse.

According to Wikipedia it is :

Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (boPET) polyester film that is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties and electrical insulation.

A variety of companies manufacture boPET and other polyester films under different trade names. In the US and Britain, the most well-known trade names are Mylar and Melinex.

Metallized nylon (or "foil") balloons used for floral arrangements and parties are often mistakenly called "Mylar", one of the trade names for boPET film.

I think we will stick with calling them Mylar Balloons vs. boPET Balloons.

It seems that Mylar Balloons contain Metal and when released outside they can hit power lines and cause outages. This has happened on numerous occasions. California is the only state I know of at the moment trying to pass this bill.

You can read more at the The Daily Journal

I just called my garbage company Waste Management and I was surprised to find out that Mylar Balloons are not on the list, because Mylar Balloons are not made of recyclable material.

They did give me a really great website I have to share that can be very useful in finding Local Recycling Centers that are near you. You can plug in what you are looking to recycle and your location and it will give you where you can bring that item:

Earth 911

In my research I have read that there are some companies that will recycle Mylar Balloons - the best way to know is to contact your local company and see if they are one of them.

Foil balloons are made of synthetic material and are difficult to break down. Mylar Balloons will end up in landfills and can take many years to break down.

I am still doing research on the Recycling of Mylar Balloons and as soon as I have it it will be here. I am amazed that it is not clear and there is so much conflicting advice on this subject.

If you have a photo of a creative way you reused a Mylar Balloon we want to see it. All you need to do is send me a photo and a description of how you did it and I will post it here. If you have a blog - I will add the link as well. Email me @ The Party Animal

This lens is another RocketMom assignment that has been so much fun. Thanks RocketMoms I would not have done this without all of you!!!

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